Working From Home 3AW 693AM Radio Melbourne with Shane McInnes

By Sue Ellson

Topic: Working From Home

Date: 24 March 2025

Media Outlet: 3AW 693AM Melbourne https://www.3aw.com.au

Broadcaster / Interviewer: Shane McInnes

Producer: Joseph Campbell

Duration: 00:08:29

Time of show: 12:09pm

Audio Recording:

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kB8Y7kza7A

Working from Home on 3AW 693 AM Radio Melbourne with Shane McInnes and Sue Ellson

Transcript

First up though, this afternoon, working from home. Its viability has been questioned many times since COVID and it appears now it’s set to become an issue at the ballot box for this year’s federal election. 13 3693

Do you still have flexible working arrangements with your employer? Have you been forced back into the office and where it is possible should working from home remain an option for workers either in the public or private sector? I’m keen for you to weigh in here. 133693 Opposition Leader Peter Dutton believes public servants should be back in the office full-time.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he’ll continue to support the right of Australian workers to have flexibility when it comes to working from home. Now I must admit, on this I find myself agreeing with the Prime Minister. Whilst it’s easy to say everyone should be back in the office 9 to 5, 5 days a week, like it or not, COVID changed the way we work.

The evolution of technology has made it seamless to connect and work collaboratively, while employers and employees have both benefited from such arrangements. Many businesses have cut back on office space making significant savings when it comes to rent and office supplies, and of course employees have the benefit of more time with family and greater access to home comforts, be it the park, the gym or simply being able to pick up the kids from school.

Now by no means, do I believe people should work from home 100% of the time. That’s not realistic. But flexible work arrangements are a reality in 2025.

Maybe it’s a 50/50 split. Maybe it’s three days in the office and a couple at home. There’s no doubt that having that face-to-face time with colleagues and attending meetings is important. But so too and we hear it time and time again, is work life balance.

A happy employee is a productive employee. And you know what? For those that abuse the system and aren’t getting their work done or meeting deadlines, back in the office you go. Punish those who abuse the system by taking the right to work from home away from them.

Take it away from those who abuse the system specifically. But I must admit I find the idea of workers being back in the office 5 days a week is a 1995 way of thinking not 2025. I want to hear from you 133693. When it comes to working from home should it be permitted?

Because it seems as though it is going to be an issue with the ballot box in 2025. Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister sees it one way. The opposition leader, when it comes specifically to public sector workers, sees it another and it could very well sway many independent voters. I want to hear from you. 13 3693. Sue Ellson is a career expert joins me this afternoon Sue welcome to the program.

Thank you Shane.

Is the hybrid model the right model?

Well I think it has a huge number of advantages and obviously before COVID, the average number of people working from home was around 20%. Since COVID it’s gone up to 33% on average but in terms of the public service in Canberra it’s as high as 60% of people working from home, so I can understand in this particular case why Peter Dutton said you know there’s a bit of a concern there but overall there’s a huge number of people who benefit, not just women and parents, carers, people with disabilities, people who are neuro divergent can’t cope with the noise or the chaos of a working place I mean there’s many people who would find it more advantageous and and you know it would be much better for them.

When we when we talk about that 61% of public service workers in Canberra working from home, is that working from home 100% of the time?

Oh, I don’t have the specific statistics on that but if you consider it you know if the average is at 33 and somewhere there they’re 61 that’s considerably higher. But also what you need to think about is a lot of public service jobs could potentially be put in an electronic format whereas I’m quite sure we don’t want a brick layer working from home uh stacking the bricks on our our new home.

And and I mean that that’s where it comes. A lot of people out there will say “Well I can’t work from home.”

Mmm.

“Why should anyone be allowed to work from home?” But different jobs allow different benefits. Again if you’re a flight attendant or a pilot one of the great benefits of that job is you get fairly reduced airfares to fly around the world.

Mmm.

Now one of the benefits of being in an office job, I would think, since COVID is that ability to work flexibly and do some of the work from home?

And a lot of people will tell you that they’re actually more productive working from home where they’ve got everything set up. But the other interesting thing that’s come into this particular argument is the fact that the you know the prime minister was saying yes we want to get you to work from home.

Then there’s the energy allowance and then there’s you know all these other little sweeteners to try and change all of this. But one of the things that I think we should actually be really considering is getting more people to work close to home. So what’s happened also since COVID is a lot of people left public transport during COVID and they haven’t gone back on.

So you know there’s a huge reduction in people using public transport which means there’s more cars on the road for the people who are going to work, and there’s you know there’s lots of other little things in this mix here now that make just the concept of or the argument around working from home or not working from home. There’s I guess, there’s just a lot more variables in all of it. And I’d like to see if if we are going to have this discussion, we look at multiple factors not just work from home or not work from home. Mmm.

Do do you think in 2025 it is realistic.

Mmm.

To expect 100% of the and again let’s use the public sector.

Yep.

As the example, to see 100% of the public sector back in the office 5 days a week 9 to 5?

No. No, I, I think if if you want the top talent, the top talent will not tolerate that. They want the flexibility. And that’s just not Generation Zed, it’s every age range wants flexible work practices and a lot of people will not apply for jobs unless there are flexible work practices and if they don’t advertise them they won’t even consider applying for a job if it’s not mentioned on the job ad, mmm.

Would would you agree too, that again in 2025.

Mmm.

And I think that the world evolved and kind of got a wakeup call during COVID.

Yep.

That because of the technology available that working from home and this flexible working was a possibility.

Mmm.

Therefore, if there isn’t that work from home option, as you say.

Mmm.

People may go “Oh well I’ll find another job, i’ll work elsewhere.

Yep.

I’ll do something else because I need that.” Be it for my kids, be it as a carer, be it because at lunchtime I want to go down to the local cafe and catch up with uh with John and Michael for a coffee.

Yeah absolutely and you know we’ve got used to that flexible lifestyle and Australians have long been known as the country where we uh work to live not live to work.

Yeah.

And and obviously there’s been a lot of productivity improvements that have gone with that. I know one particular business owner who would like his staff in the office more often because he’s noticed that since it’s gone to work from home they clock on oh you know roughly 9:15 whereas when they had to be at work by 9:00 they were at work by 9:00.

Mmm.

So he’s noticed a little bit of you know I I guess the point I’m making is you’ve got to be strong on leadership but if you are strong on leadership whether you’re working from home or not working from home you you can actually make things work and I think you know a lot of people would hate it if they had that option taken away from them, mmm.

I tend to agree Sue Ellson Career Expert appreciate your time.

Social Share

WORKING FROM HOME // Ahead of the Australian Federal Election, the Prime Minister is encouraging the continuation of the ability to work from home. David Crowe, discussed this in The Age Newspaper and I discussed this topic with Shane McInnes on 3AW 693AM Radio Melbourne and we explored:

✅ increase of working from home 20% to 33% since COVID
✅ around 60% of public servants in Canberra working from home
✅ benefits for parents, carers, people with disabilities or neuro divergent
✅ alternative benefits of working at a workplace
✅ reduction in public transport use
✅ working close to home
✅ all ages preferring flexible work

Enjoy the show online at https://sueellson.com/blog/working-from-home-3aw-693am-radio-melbourne-with-shane-mcinnes

This link also includes further information you may find helpful.

Thanks to Producer Joseph Campbell for reaching out!

➡️ Is it important for you to have or maintain flexible work practices?

➡️ If you can’t work from home, what options would you like to have in the future?

I would love to continue this discussion and hear your perspectives.

#3awmelbourne #workfromhome #wfh #careers #sueellson #shanemcinnes