What: Transport for NSW staff hold ‘start work’ meeting to stress test new ‘Workplace Presence’ arrangements
When: 9am, 1st of May, 2025 (May Day)
Where: 231 Elizabeth Street, Sydney CBD
Contact: Tim Brunero 0405 285 547
More info:
Transport for NSW staff hold ‘start work’ meeting to stress test new ‘Workplace Presence’ arrangements
Transport for NSW staff will hold a ‘start work’ meeting today to stress test the department’s ‘Workplace Presence’ arrangements.
Premier Minns recently issued an edict to his departments to force public servants back to the office.
This is despite the fact NSW Government departments reduced their office footprints to save money as working from home arrangements went mainstream during COVID.
“Our members accept they are required back in the office at least some of the time," said Public Service Association Acting General Secretary, Troy Wright.
“We have engaged in consultation department by department to shape a fair policy.
“One major concern with the policy as it stands is that our members are going back to the office and finding there isn’t a desk for them to sit at.
“We’ve had members travelling across Sydney in peak hour, adding to traffic congestion, merely to sit in a cafe downstairs on a laptop because there’s no room in the office - that serves no one.
“We don’t want our members feeling like unwanted house guests, lingering around a party they weren’t invited to.
“What we’re doing today is essentially stress testing the arrangements, departments are telling us there is adequate accommodation for all their staff, we’re encouraging our members to attend the office and test whether that’s correct.
“And it’s not just having a seat and desk, it’s the lack of personal lockers, peripheral keyboards, large screens and other productivity enhancing devices.
“Four in five members told us in a recent survey they have a dramatic drop in productivity when they come into the office as they have better equipment and workstation setups at home, instead they are hot-desking hunched over a tiny laptop screen trying to log onto the WIFI.
“The default arrangement in the TfNSW policy is that staff are to attend the workplace 5 days a week, with ad hoc requests to work from home considered.
“Any other arrangement when it comes to flexibility will be completely up to the discretion of an individual’s manager.
“The PSA believes that flexibility to work from home 50% of the time should be enshrined in the policy as a true default arrangement, without it being at the discretion of whoever might be someone's manager that week.”
Contact: Tim Brunero 0405 285 547