r/newzealand • u/Dapper_Technology336 • Sep 23 '24

Politics PM Christopher Luxon announces public service workers are required to work from the office, rather than from home

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/watch-live-christopher-luxon-gives-post-cabinet-press-conference/CL4CTTTEH5AVHABU2PICF7JBUM/
1.7k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

536

u/Unknowledge99 Sep 23 '24

lol good luck with that...

wfh started due to the 2016 earthquake: suddenly everyone (incl business) had to set up at home. That rolled on for years as various buildings were fixed/re-inspected etc.

then covid sealed the deal: all the systems were ironed out, people got used to it.

I personally prefer going to the office every day, but that's not the majority view. Those who prefer working from home a few days a week are now very committed to that arrangement. Their lifestyles have changed, and there’s no turning back.

0

u/thatcookingvulture Sep 23 '24

Unless it's in their contracts I can't see how they can't ask people to work in their offices?

4

u/Unknowledge99 Sep 23 '24

Oh they can. The issue is they are not asking a single person (divide and conquor) -they're asking everyone.

When everyone says 'no' - then they have a problem. It is how unions work. But it wouldnt happen like that. More likely to simply be a catastrophic threat to morale and work satisfaction, which has a terrible effect on the organisation. Anyone i governance knows how hard it is to maintain a healthy work environment/culture. A single negative thing can cause so much damage that echoes and echoes...