Employment rights community legal centre JobWatch reports an increase in calls for legal assistance from workers keen to continue working from home.

Since the state government’s announcement last week announcing that the public health recommendation for Victorians to work or study from home will be removed, one in five calls to JobWatch’s Telephone Information Service has been from workers concerned about returning to the office.

Among those callers is Greg*, who has sole custody of his son and is primary carer for an immunocompromised parent. Having worked from home for the past two years, he is reluctant to return to the office on a full-time basis given his caregiving responsibilities. His employer has mandated a full-time return to the office for all workers and has been unwilling to negotiate with Greg on flexible work arrangements where he would go in for key meetings, but otherwise work from home.

Zana Bytheway, Executive Director of JobWatch, says that this increase in calls is of no surprise.

“Many Victorians have essentially had two years of working from home. While there are some downsides in reducing workplace collaboration opportunities, many workers have enjoyed their improved work-life balance in juggling care responsibilities and household chores, as well as reducing commuting times. Other workers have concerns about workplace health and safety given the ongoing high COVID-19 case numbers,” she says.

“It’s clear that in the current economic context,...

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