For many of the world's traditional nine-to-five 'office
workers', COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the concept of the
workplace. For many employers, this has been an opportunity to
explore and embrace technologies and remote work practices to
unprecedented levels. For many employees, remote working has become
the new 'norm', and an expectation therefore that jobs will
include at least a partial 'working from home' component,
has become standard.
As the NSW government has announced an end to the current
COVID-19 working from home directions from this week, many
employers are identifying the new 'normal' as the way
forward. However, many others are seeking a return to full office
participation, in line with pre-COVID-19 expectations. In this
context, while it is useful to debate the new conceptions of
'best practice', it is also essential to consider what are
the underlying legal requirements, procedures, and employment best
practices relating to 'flexibility' at
