Australian companies offering bonuses to bring employees back to 'working from office'

In Australia, corporates have rolled out bonuses and promotions for employees who are agreeing to give up working from home. Suncorp, an insurance and banking business, is allowing its team leaders to decide who gets a bonus based on attendance at work. A corporate spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia, “Our scorecards are used to determine overall performance rating, which is linked to bonuses for eligible employees.” “Leaders will decide on the best schedule for their team based on the tasks they perform; this may involve spending some time in the office when necessary.” A spokesman for Suncorp stressed that minimum office attendance was ‘a very minor part of an overall performance grade’ and that the company’s hybrid working arrangements do not need it. She stated, “We recognize that a major factor in our employees’ engagement, attraction, and retention is hybrid working.” She noted that a scoreboard that considered office attendance was intended to improve workplace culture, but she emphasized that this did not prevent team leaders from providing flexible work schedules. “We know that a one size fits all approach simply won’t work in an organization as large and diverse as Suncorp,” the spokeswoman stated. “By putting these plans in our scorecards, we hope to give clarity—something our people have been requesting through our regular feedback channels—and acknowledge the part that our working methods play in our culture.” Professor John Buchanan, a labor market researcher and lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School who has been studying industrial relations since 1988, stated that the suppression of remote work was mostly the result of employers’ fear of losing control. More than 2.5 million workers, or more than 20% of the 12 million persons in the labor force, were employed from home on August 2, 2021, Census night. This number was obtained during the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney and Melbourne, however since then, managers have been requesting that employees come back to work. In May, CEO of National Australia Bank Ross McEwan acknowledged that he wanted senior employees to return to the office five days a week. In the same month, CEO of Commonwealth Bank Matt Comyn informed the 49,000 employees that they would have to report to work at least half the time starting in July.