Almost 50% Of Australian Workers Discouraged From Or Not Allowed To Work Remotely, CPA Report Finds!

A report by Certified Practice Accountants (CPA) has found that whilst 50% of workers are allowed and encouraged to work from home, 45% of employees say they are either discouraged from or not allowed to do so.

“It’s quite actually alarming. Despite governments urging businesses to let employees work remotely, a huge number of workplaces are actively discouraging employees from doing exactly that,” CPA General Manager Media and Content, Dr. Jane Rennie, says.

In a survey of more than 1200 workers, CPA suggests that more than one in 10 workers are not allowed to undertake their duties remotely, whilst a third are discouraged from doing so, despite many Australian workers urging for a pay cut in favour of remote work.

Dr. Rennie believes that many small and medium businesses are discouraging remote work due to inadequate technological resources, and is urging the Albanese Government to assist.

“One reason some small and medium businesses may be discouraging remote work is a lack of digital capability. Australian small businesses are digital laggards in the Asia-Pacific. We need government support to improve small business’ technology training particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and data privacy,” Dr. Rennie says.

Dr. Rennie also claims that employers have a duty of care to protect their staff from illness by allowing and encouraging remote work, and insists that when remote work is prohibited or discouraged, illnesses such as Covid-19 can cause workforce shortages and negatively impact businesses.

“All businesses have a duty of care to keep their employees safe. Workplace flexibility and working from home can help prevent infections spreading.” Dr. Rennie suggests.

“Employers need to ensure they are protecting their workforce from illness if they can, particularly with the new wave of Covid-19 across the country. This includes allowing staff to work from home where possible and discouraging employees from turning up to work sick.”

“Bosses who fail to stop outbreaks in their workplaces run the risk of exacerbating staff shortages, affecting workplace productivity, harming morale and ultimately affecting client outcomes.”