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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Elias Visontay

Australian employers want staff in the office - but for many workers home is where the heart is

The average CBD vacancy rate across Australia is 14.6%, prompting governments to talk of converting offices to residential homes as a way of breathing new life into city centres.
The average CBD vacancy rate across Australia is 14.6%, prompting governments to talk of converting offices to residential homes as a way of breathing new life into city centres. Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters

After years of flexibility that workers could have only dreamed of before the pandemic, employers are now eager for staff to return to the office – for at least part of the week.

Business groups and CBD cafe owners have reacted gleefully to bosses calling their employees back in. But workers and unions are reluctant to give up freedoms, suggesting some level of flexibility will remain the norm for most office-based professionals for years to come.

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