The business community is grappling with how to balance staff safety with productivity as COVID cases surge.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee recently advised employers to “consider the feasibility of some employees working from home and support employees to take leave when sick”.
While no state or territory government is contemplating a reintroduction of mask mandates indoors or work from home orders for now, they are not ruling it out ifShoppers at Chadstone Shopping Centre late last year.Many major workplaces allow a hybrid model with some days in the office and some at home, but health groups such as the Australian Medical Association aresuch as mask mandates to help avoid hospitals becoming overwhelmed.
“The revisiting of masks in offices would be absolutely counter-productive,” he said. “It’s the one issue that has galvanised people to stay away from work.” Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton recently said decision makers need to consider community fatigue with public health measures.Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles encouraged people to wear masks indoors but said the government would not mandate it. South Australian police commissioner Grant Stevens, who controls public health directions, said recently that a mask mandate was “up for consideration” depending on hospitalisation rates, but would be a “last resort”.
Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said work-from-home mandates would hurt the economy.A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson said the company’s office staff had returned to work in a “hybrid” capacity since March and the company would continue to monitor the changing situation.
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