Regardless of where work is conducted, it is important to ensure that all workers have certain rights and protections. With the increase in working from home it is vital that the rights and benefits of those affected, including those still working at the employer’s premises are not less favourable than what they were prior to the move to home-based work, and that working from home not be grounds for discrimination.
The ACTU has conducted a Working from Home survey of over 10,000 workers over 9 weeks. The results of the survey found there have been significant challenges for workers that have been working from home. An overwhelming 81% of workers said that they would like to have the option of performing all or most of their work from home if they were provided with enough support.
It is this support required to make working from home sustainable that much of this report will focus on. All workers deserve to be paid for the work they do, to be safe and have a decent work life balance.