- An Australian retail bank employee, Karlene Chandler, has been granted the right to work from home full-time by the country's Fair Work Commission.
- Chandler challenged her employer, Westpac, after the bank reversed its previous allowance for her to work remotely and mandated two days a week in the office.
- The commission ruled in favour of Chandler, a part-time mortgage business employee of 23 years, who argued that travelling to a Westpac corporate office would take almost two hours from her home outside Sydney.
- The ruling stated there was no reasonable ground for Westpac to refuse Chandler's remote working request, noting a manager's comment that “working from home is no substitution for childcare.”
- Westpac is considering the commission's ruling, stating its return-to-office policies are designed to ensure team collaboration while providing flexibility, amidst a broader trend in Australia's financial sector to encourage staff back to the office.
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