Laureen Reeve has just spent three hours in front of a whiteboard with some of her 150-strong team who work at Vodafone’s head office in Auckland. They’ve endured the Auckland commute on the only day – Wednesday – they are required in the office.
For some, it is the only day in the week they will physically mix with their colleagues. On other days, many are doing what is becoming known as “the 30-second commute’’ as they log in from a home office or from a laptop on the kitchen table.
Reeve, who is the head of Vodafone’s voice and messaging department, says the Christchurch-based members of her team have chosen Monday as their “base day’’ when they head into the office. Every other day, the company’s 1800 office-based employees can choose to work from home as much or as little as they like as part of the technology giant’s “flex work’’ policy.
On quiet days, just one in five staff are in a Vodafone office. At peak times, about half are there – well down on the 60% office attendance in pre-pandemic times.
PANDORA’S BOX
Although Covid lockdowns now appear to be a thing of the past, one hangover from that time is the impact on workplaces, which often look completely different from three years ago.
Hybrid working – spending some days in the office and the rest at home – appears to be here to stay, as many professionals cling to the casual attire and cheap lunches they’ve now gotten used to.
For organisations worried about what effect that’s having on workplace culture, one of the biggest challenges they face, especially in a tight labour market, is how to coax these reluctant workers out of their pyjamas.
Across the Tasman, ANZ Bank recently told its global staff they
