A blanket hybrid work policy requiring 50% office time to promote collaboration and consistent service delivery wasn't inherently unreasonable, a commission has ruled in resolving a flexible work dispute.
When employees want more flexibility than a workplace can offer, it's not impossible to "get everyone onto the same page", according to an experienced HR leader.
The Fair Work Commission has rejected that an employee was entitled to work from home without limitation, despite his claims of "ambiguity" in his employment contract.
It wasn't unlawful to sack an employee who resisted returning to the office because of her chronic health conditions, the Federal Circuit Court has ruled.
Many post-pandemic policies have broken the psychological contracts that exist between workplaces and employees, but they can be repaired, according to a global leadership expert.
Return-to-office drives will encounter "intense headwinds" if they're perceived as more employer-friendly than employee-friendly, according to academics with advice for organisations' policies, messaging and implementation.
Social interaction and fun are "not yet a successful part of hybrid work", according to a researcher, but that doesn't mean employees aren't happier overall.
Decisions handed down in disputes about flexible work requests highlight the Fair Work Commission's "wide scope" to make orders when parties can't come to an agreement, and the key role that flexible work trials can play, a lawyer says.
