Remote Tribe’s Post

A survey found that working from home was one of the top four reasons cited by social workers who said they were planning to leave the profession in the next three years. Read more at https://buff.ly/4doLNFU #workfromhome #wfh #workingfromhome #remotework

This ABC article provides some interesting updates on the current state of WFH and some data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics: *37 per cent of Australians work from home regularly, according to ABS data from 2023 *Managers and professionals are the most likely to work remotely, with 60 per cent doing so regularly last year *ABS survey results from July 2022 suggested 88 per cent of Australian workers would like to work from home at least partially, and 60 per cent would prefer hybrid work — where employees divide their time between the office and remotely *A survey by the Swinburne University of Technology in May this year found the number of people working hybrid had risen from 56 per cent in 2022 to more than 72 per cent Interesting information that may be worth sharing with your clients to help them better recruit and retain staff. #workplacetrends #whatworkerswant #flexibleworking

Remember In the 2023 election campaign how National made a big deal of Labour running a nanny state? What are we seeing from the Coalition now? Setting performance targets is one thing and quite appropriate. Telling permanent heads and govt CEOs how to deploy their workforce looks a lot like nanny state interference. It also smacks of political interference with employment contracts taking government beyond what is acceptable in employment law. It is becoming a hallmark of the Coalition to take wishful politicised thinking into law. It’s turning out this move looks to be more about reviving a moribund central city - retail and hospitality businesses are suffering. Well, with cost of living increases and large public sector job cuts holding sway, I doubt there will be much change in consumer spending. People need to feel appreciated, respected, and confident in their future, not treated like pawns in a political chess match. PM Luxon is doubling down on the move, saying the goal is a better work culture? That’s a real challenge, which will never come from moves to force a hoped-for productivity increase and certainly not from politically-motivated interference. Culture comes from management having clear expectations, and from doing the right things to support people to achieve those. Yes it’s right to focus on productivity- but surely better to properly assess how work flexibility affects productivity for each individual rather than the assumption we’re hearing that time in the office is more productive. The opposite may well be true. #nannystate #coalition #luxon

New pay deals containing generous “working from home” rights for federal public sector workers are set to be voted up in some of the biggest government departments next week, extending the new flexibility clauses to 85,000 government employees. The expected endorsement of deals by employees in the Australian Taxation Office, Services Australia and the Department of Home Affair will mean more than half the public sector’s 170,000-strong workforce will gain the new rights that include no formal cap on the number of working from home days each week and a “bias towards approving requests”. In the highest “yes” vote for 15 years, 97 per cent of voting Department of Defence employees recently endorsed their deal that also includes significant improvements to paid parental leave, including 18 weeks for the primary carer and the secondary carer. Under the “working from home” clause, which the federal government and the Community Public Sector Union (CPSU) expect to apply across 103 agreements, agency caps that in practice have limited the right to work from home to two or three days a week are scrapped. Agencies are required to consider written requests for working from home on a case-by-case basis, with a “bias towards approving requests”. An agency head can refuse a request on “reasonable business grounds”, including that it would be too costly, would have a significant negative impact on customer service, or that it would likely ­result in a significant loss in ­efficiency or productivity. An employee who has their ­request rejected has the right to appeal to the Fair Work ­Commission. The Australian https://lnkd.in/eevkcK4U

THE RIGHT TO DISCONNECT IN KENYA- WAKILI A QUICK ONE Weekends offer a much-needed respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life, allowing individuals to unwind after navigating the challenges of urban traffic. However, this coveted relaxation can often be interrupted by professional obligations, as exemplified by receiving after-hours emails from employers. This scenario underscores the pressing need for legislative measures to safeguard employees' rights outside conventional working hours. One such measure, the "right to disconnect," has gained traction internationally and is poised for potential adoption in Kenya. Initiated by Senator Samson Cherargei in June 2021 through an amendment to the Employment Act, this provision aims to afford employees the autonomy to disengage from work-related communications during non-working hours, barring exigent circumstances. Despite initial resistance from employers, the Senate ratified the amendment in August 2023. Central to this legislative revision is Section 27A, which mandates employers, particularly those with a workforce exceeding ten individuals, to formulate policies governing out-of-hours contact with employees. The underlying principle is to mitigate the encroachment of work obligations into personal time, thereby fostering a healthier work-life balance and mitigating the risk of burnout among Kenyan workers. The proposed legislation aligns with broader efforts to prioritize mental well-being in the workplace and address evolving expectations regarding work dynamics, particularly among younger generations. Nonetheless, it exempts essential service providers from its operations, so lawyers may still have to make do with working outside work hours. It is, after all, a calling. As the legal landscape evolves to accommodate these changes, stakeholders anticipate increased litigation in employment and labor relations matters, reflecting the growing emphasis on mental health rights and the shifting preferences of contemporary workforces. Despite exemptions for specific sectors, the right to disconnect represents a significant step toward promoting employee welfare and fostering a more sustainable approach to work-life integration.

What's the latest with social care? 📈 Demand is increasing and expected to continue to climb 🪑 High vacancy rates and high staff turnover 0️⃣ A quarter of social care workers are on zero-hours contracts 💰 Pay is among the lowest in the UK economy 🏆 Opportunities for progression are limited Desperately in need of investment - faced with growing demand and in excess of 150,000 vacancies - is this social care crisis fixable? What else should be done? We asked the people who know - the care workers themselves. We shadowed domiciliary care workers in our six month action research project to understand the challenges they face and listen to their insights into how to fix them. Here's what we found out: https://lnkd.in/ezd-m77f

Well, Philadelphia is the first U.S. major city to call all 26,000 city employees back to office full-time. Will this set off a tidal wave of the RTO? As Andrew mentions below, as the market and the "war on talent" changes, so will the power dynamic between employers and employees. If you were called back to the office full-time, what would you do? #ReturnToOffice #HybridWorking

While many employers have made a push to bring workers back to the office, many workers say they can still be part of the company culture without seeing their colleagues often, according to a report. Nearly six in 10 (59 per cent) Canadians believe that you don’t need to see coworkers in person every day to form strong relationships, consistent across different age groups, found IWG. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/ePqnd38W #employmentnews #bcemploymentnews #bclabourforcenews #workbcaldergrove #workbclangley #workbc #employment #workbcresources

One of the few silver linings that came out of the pandemic was the adoption of new work norms, like flexible work arrangements. It's no doubt that FWA is a positive step forward. Caregiving has been a known factor in contributing to the gender pay gap, or more specifically the imbalance of childcare responsibility. As we face an aging population in Singapore, the 'sandwiched generation' will face greater caregiving demands both upward and downward. I can respect the baby step taken towards normalising FWAs and continuing to leave the onus on employers and employees working mutually to make something work, rather than rely on a blanket legislation which may actually make things more inflexible. I'm also really glad that Halogen is at the forefront of implementing FWAs, and has been for a long time (even before I joined in 2017): ✅ We've long allowed for telecommuting and since reopening the office after COVID instituted a 'one-f2f-meeting-a-week' rule ("flexi-place"); ✅ Many staff, including myself, have amended work hours to better suit our own time needs and habits - mine being the preference to 'start later, end later' haha ("flexi-time"); ✅ As both employees' and employers' needs evolve, we have part-time arrangements, partial-day arrangements, and contract term arrangements all possible and done before, allowing for individuals to decide how they can balance work and home commitments ("flexi-load"). This is not something I take lightly. Since becoming a parent, it's hard to imagine what worklife would be if not for these FWAs I could utilise. We still do good work, we still achieve our outcomes, and we do so by valuing our people. I believe more companies will benefit from FWAs as we normalise them. Much gratitude to my boss, Ivy Tse, for trailblazing the way on this, and colleagues both current and former, Mansha Vasnani and Adelyn Peter, for doing the extra work of making it happen on paper. If you are an employer wondering how you might support your staff on this and want to pick our brains, please feel free to reach out. If you are a jobseeker looking for a place that does FWA extremely well, we have openings. 😉

Keeping you informed: The Bright Horizons UK 2024 Modern Families Index of 3,000 working parents shows 72% of all parents said their employer is supportive of family, but this has dropped by five per cent since 2023. Here are your HR related highlights: https://lnkd.in/e96RNSQe #workingmums #employers #HRnews #humanresources #familysupport #parents #flexibleworking #familyfriendly #SMP #diversityandinclusion