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.
One of the biggest lessons so far from the Fair Work Commission's arbitration of flexible work disputes is that employers must engage in meaningful dialogue with workers who are seeking new arrangements, a lawyer says.
An employee has convinced the Fair Work Commission to order an exception to her employer's hybrid working policy, because after moving further away from its office and enrolling her children in a more distant school, she required a fully remote working arrangement to manage pick-ups and drop-offs.
Claiming to seek a flexible work arrangement due to a child's needs was "somewhat misleading", the Fair Work Commission has commented, in dismissing an employee's dispute over a rejected request.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.
