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My petty gripe: I don't begrudge your coffee addiction – but do you have to be such a bore about it?
My petty gripe: I don't begrudge your coffee addiction – but do you have to be such a bore about it?

The Guardian

time38 minutes ago

  • General
  • The Guardian

My petty gripe: I don't begrudge your coffee addiction – but do you have to be such a bore about it?

I get it: you really like coffee. And you have an addiction. I'm not judging that. You're beholden to Big Bean, hopelessly hooked on the world's most consumed psychotropic drug. But, err, do you have to be such a bore about it? Does it really need a mention on your dating profile, as though a fondness for hot brown liquid is a personality trait? Is a coffee not truly a coffee unless it's conjured from scratch by a barista? And do you really need to be such a grump in the morning if you don't get it? Should you really be entitled to an extra hour's work break so you can stand in a lengthy cafe queue both morning and afternoon? (Before you delay yet another work meeting in favour of a protracted caffeine-foraging mission, let me introduce you to the office espresso machine and – don't give me that look – this jar of instant coffee.) Sure, you want an excuse to gossip with your colleagues*, get some fresh air, get your daily steps in or leave your lonely work-from-home station to have the only in-person interaction you'll have all day. All very worthy causes. But then on the weekend you'll make me tag along with you while you search for another overpriced cafe coffee just 20 minutes after you imbibed the first because the milk in the first cup of joe was under-steamed and you simply can't continue with your day until you've overridden that abomination with a quality flat white. Or on our camping trip you'll snub the moka pot-brewed campfire coffee and jump in your car and drive out of the wilderness to the nearest town to buy an artisanal long black in a takeaway cup. Waiting for you to return from your one-and-a-half-hour round trip ate up most of our precious morning, Peter! Granted, I don't know much about latte art, but I do know swans belong at liberty on shimmering lakes, not confined atop your morning beverage. As the world descends deeper into economic hardship, environmental doom and the clutches of authoritarian nutjobs, coffee snobbery inexplicably endures and strengthens, like cockroaches after the apocalypse. Apologies if I sound a bit bitter, tired and irritable, as though I have a mild headache coming on. Perhaps a shot of single-origin locally roasted ristretto will sort me out. * This article does not reflect any of my Guardian Australia colleagues – I love you all

How Lord Hermer's staff racked up a £1.2MILLION work from home bill
How Lord Hermer's staff racked up a £1.2MILLION work from home bill

Daily Mail​

time17 hours ago

  • Business
  • Daily Mail​

How Lord Hermer's staff racked up a £1.2MILLION work from home bill

More than £1million has been spent on work from home equipment by government departments that report to Attorney General Lord Hermer. The Government Legal Department, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office have spent more than £1.24million in the last three years on computers, desks and other equipment to enable remote work. Overall, agencies in eight departments have spent nearly £3million on similar equipment, despite ministers saying they want to see more people working in the office. The figures were revealed in response to parliamentary questions from a Tory MP. TaxPayers' Alliance spokesman Shimeon Lee urged ministers to 'get a grip and put the public back at the heart of public service'. He told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Taxpayers will be dismayed to know that we are still investing in a work from home culture. 'Remote working has become the norm in the public sector, with little regard for productivity, accountability or value for money.' Energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said the spending 'reflected an increased headcount to deliver additional remit for government priorities and steps to reduce its London office footprint to save money.' Other work-from-home highrollers included the Health and Safety Executive, a public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, which spent £955,099, and Ofgem, energy regulator in Labour's Net Zero department, at £396,486. Lord Hermer is a former barrister and a friend of Sir Keir Starmer. He was handed a peerage and was parachuted in to the high-profile role after the election. But some Downing Street aides are reported to be pressing for his removal as part of an autumn relaunch. He is said to be a key figure in the controversial deal to surrender the Chagos Islands, the decision to repeal laws protecting British veterans of the Northern Ireland Troubles from prosecution and the Government's refusal to help defend Israel during the conflict with Iran. Last month Lord Hermer rubbished claims of a 'two-tier' justice system in Britain as 'disgusting' and 'wrong'. Such accusations arose following last summer's riots after the Southport murders were policed more strongly and the early release of prisoners to tackle overcrowding. Lord Hermer said: 'What some people were seeking to do, bringing up 'two-tier', was to make a comparison with the way people were being treated for trying to kill police officers – and I want to reiterate that, kill police officers – with the response to protests on the streets of London. We don't have a two-tiered justice system.'

The male breadwinner is gone. Why working from home is necessary for modern families
The male breadwinner is gone. Why working from home is necessary for modern families

SBS Australia

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • SBS Australia

The male breadwinner is gone. Why working from home is necessary for modern families

Eb Yusuf had to return to work when her daughter was just eight months old — an experience she describes as traumatising. "I was with my girl 24/7 up until that point and then I had to leave for eight, nine hours a day," the Sydney mother says. Yusuf's employer at the time required her to return to the office full-time but she later found a part-time role that allowed her to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 42-year-old is one of many Australian parents who say working from home and other flexible arrangements have become essential to the smooth functioning of their households and satisfaction with their family life. Yusuf, who has since returned to full-time hours but continues to work from home three days a week, says she doesn't want to miss out on raising her child. "I think in 2025 [work from home is] crucial," she says. I enjoy being able to be there for all those milestones [for my daughter], I don't want someone else to be having more time with my child than I am. Yusuf's husband also works from home three days a week, and she says this helps them to pick up their daughter at a reasonable time from after-school care. On days she works from home, she is also able to use some of her 30-40 minute commute time for exercise or other activities. "[It gives me time to] do those things that make me a good mum, and a good employee, and a good wife, and happy within myself, so I think that's really important," she says. Cost of living pressures force both parents to work Demographer Liz Allen, of the Australian National University, says workplaces have historically lagged in supporting parents in working effectively while maintaining their priorities as parents and their own personal well-being. But working from home is enabling that and also breaks down barriers to gender equality in the workplace. "It gives an expectation to workers that they have a right to work from home to make that work-life juggle [easier]," Allen says. For many women, staying home to look after their children is no longer an option. We are no longer in a situation where we've got that male breadwinner — single income earner — in a family where a woman stays home and does everything by way of unpaid work. "In order to pay for housing, we need dual-income earners," Allen says. According to the property listing company Domain, property prices have jumped by 777 per cent over the past three decades in some capital cities, such as Sydney, where the median price of a house is now $1.7 million — compared with a median of $192,819 in March 1993. House prices in Sydney increased by 777 per cent between 1993 and 2025, according to data from Domain. Source: SBS News But wage growth over a similar period has not kept pace, which has put extra strain on families. Wages in NSW grew by 131.1 per cent between September 1997 and March 2025. Wages growth in Australia has failed to keep pace with the increased cost of housing. Source: SBS News Women are more likely to work now Social researcher Mark McCrindle points out that women in their early 30s — an age when many would be having children — are now twice as likely to be working compared to their own mothers at the same age. He explains: "77 per cent of women in their early 30s are in the labour force — it was less than a third a generation ago." Employment for women aged in their 30s once dropped sharply but now it barely dips. Source: SBS News Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Time Use Survey, conducted between November 2020 and July 2021, McCrindle notes that a third of Australians also report feeling rushed or pressed for time often or always. Around 38 per cent of women reported this, and 32 per cent of men. Women aged 35 to 44 years were the group most likely to report feeling rushed for time (55 per cent). McCrindle says working from home is seen as a way of reducing that stress or time pressure, as workplaces are traditionally located in CBDs well away from where people live, and where schools, childcare, shopping and other family and social connections are located. The rising cost of housing has pushed people even further away from workplaces. "The only way to really make all of that work is to have less time conducting that commute, and that's where I think work from home achieves that," McCrindle says. Work from home has become a lifeline for parents Yusuf, whose daughter is now seven years old, has been promoted to the senior leadership team at her work, and says her experiences motivated her to support flexibility for employees returning from maternity leave, so they can return to work in a way that makes them comfortable. "[There's] no clock watching, so you're not making sure people arrive at a certain time or leave at a certain time," she says. I've heard of businesses saying you need to prove that you've got child care — somebody in the house helping you with the child — in order to be paid for this day of work. "We don't do anything like that because we just know that our people will make it work.," Yusuf says. She hopes flexible work arrangements will ultimately enable women to take on leadership roles while still allowing them to be the parents they aspire to be. "I know a lot of women in senior roles who have the house husband or the au pair, but I don't want to miss out on that time with my child," she says. Eb Yusuf is ambitious about her career but doesn't want to miss out on spending time with her daughter. Source: Supplied Yusuf's heard messages directed towards women that if they want to be a boss or CEO, they need to be in the office. But she points out she has a vested interest in the business performing well. "I've worked in this business for nearly five years. They know that I want to do a good job and I'll get it done," she says. "Whether it's [because I'm clocking on] outside of work hours or whether I just do it quicker ... because I'm a mum and I need to be efficient with my time." 'I just love my life so much more' Kerrie Cullimore, 41, has 12-year-old twins and says she left her previous job because the demands of full-time work and commuting for almost three hours a day were unsustainable with young children. Cullimore says it felt like work took up a huge part of her life. "I was gone from the house for like 13 hours a day or something ridiculous. [I was home at] 7 o'clock at night," she says. I remember standing in the bus line looking around at everyone [one] night ... thinking ... 'I don't want to do this for the rest of my life. This is horrible'. Cullimore, who found a part-time role closer to home in the finance department of a media company, says being allowed to work remotely meant her family could make a life-changing move from Sydney to Port Stephens. "I can take my dog for a walk in the morning, the kids get on the bus [just outside my house], I'm here in the afternoon when the kids get home [and] I can make dinner," she says. "I can jump on and off online depending on my work schedule, and I just love my life so much more." The arrangement is also beneficial for her employers as she logs in every day, even though she has a part-time role. "If I had to go into the office, I would definitely go in for the three days only," she says. Kerrie Cullimore loves her life after working from home enabled her family to move to Port Stephens. Source: Supplied Cullimore also appreciates that her workplace allows staff members who work from the office to leave around 2.30pm to pick up their children from school. "Nobody cares ... they go home and finish the rest of their work at home," she says. "It's just so lovely to work for a company that is really accommodating to parents, and understands that parents can be more part of their children's life." Push to get workers back in the office While working from home is valued by employees, some employers have pushed to get staff back in the office. Welsh says the research agency, which conducts focus group polling, observed how voters began to view Dutton as a risk to their finances because working from home was valued for helping them save money on things like public transport, food and childcare. "When you've got people that are in survival mode and they see [work from home] as a solution to it — and a solution that is fair — [it's] pretty hard to come out and argue against that," he says. Redbridge's research found working from home also made mothers feel better about themselves and relieved some of the stress of parenting. "[Mothers] don't feel like they're neglecting their kids ... they can be there to pick the kids up from school rather than having the kids go to an after-school program," he says. "That matters to fathers as well, but it's particularly acute for women." Dutton is not the only leader trying to roll back work-from-home arrangements. LISTEN TO SBS News 30/04/2025 03:56 English A survey of 500 employers conducted in November by recruitment agency Robert Half found 39 per cent wanted workers in the office five days a week in 2025, up from 36 per cent in 2024. Overall, the number of mandated in-office workdays was expected to rise from an average of 3.43 days a week in 2024 to 3.64 days a week in 2025. Among employers planning to mandate in-office days this year, around 40 per cent believed this would help improve productivity. The benefits of working from home The Albanese government has identified productivity as a key economic focus of its second term, following data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics that shows the productivity growth rate has slowed to its lowest level in at least 20 years. But a report from the Productivity Commission released in September 2021 recommended that governments not stand in the way of working from home. Productivity Commission chair Michael Brennan says: "On balance, working from home can unlock significant gains in terms of flexibility and time for employees, and could even increase the nation's productivity." "Risks can be managed but we should keep an eye on them and be ready to intervene if necessary." Brennan says the COVID-19 pandemic had greatly accelerated the take-up of technology that assisted work-from-home opportunities. "In less than two years, we have gone from less than 8 per cent of Australians working from home to 40 per cent," he says. "While this percentage may not always remain so high, it is inevitable that more Australians will work from home." Work from home is unlikely to disappear McCrindle believes a hybrid model, where at least some work is done at home, is "baked in" and not just because it benefits families. Working from home gives people more time for hobbies, social engagements, volunteering, and even a side hustle or entrepreneurial activity. It enables older workers to help out with grandkids and those who are neurodivergent to participate in the workplace more fully. It may also help parents who don't want to put their children in childcare to manage care with help from grandparents or extended family while continuing to work. Mothers may also be able to breastfeed for a longer period. "The bigger picture has to be beyond purely GDP [gross domestic product] measures to the other social measures of wellbeing, social fabric, engaged family, and investment in the next generation," McCrindle says. "Any flexible practices that can help accommodate that, I think, is an investment in the future." This is part one of a series looking at how modern families are balancing the pressures of working life. Next week, we will look at whether other workplace changes can make a difference.

WFH warning after Aussie dad's request denied in new ruling: ‘Troubling'
WFH warning after Aussie dad's request denied in new ruling: ‘Troubling'

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

WFH warning after Aussie dad's request denied in new ruling: ‘Troubling'

A Sydney dad has had his request to work from home two days a week rejected by the Fair Work Commission. The case could have legal implications for other Aussies returning to the office full-time, with a legal expert noting workers would be required to show they have a 'good enough reason' to request to work from home. Fair Work deputy president Lyndall Dean found a 'preference' to continue working from home wasn't enough. She said the worker hadn't established a sufficient 'nexus' between the request and his responsibilities as a parent to care for his two school-age kids, aged 8 and 10, and this resulted in her ruling in favour of the employer. Monash University business law lecturer Amanda Selvarajah told Yahoo Finance the decision was an example of Fair Work putting the onus on employees to 'justify' their flexible work requests, with less focus placed on employers in comparison. RELATED Tradie 'forced' to quit job after boss swears at him in secretly recorded meeting Coles and Costco grocery price comparison 'shocks' Aussie mum Aussie tradie loses $110,000 house deposit due to small detail 'It sets a troubling precedent when employers don't have to justify their preferences around flexibility, but employees have to justify theirs. I think that tips the scales in a troubling way,' she said. Australian workers have the right to request flexible working arrangements if they are eligible full-time, part-time or long-term casuals and meet certain eligibility criteria. That includes workers who are parents or carers of kids of school age or younger, along with workers who are pregnant, carers, have a disability, are 55 or older, or are experiencing family and domestic violence. Employers can also refuse the request on "reasonable business grounds" and have to take certain steps, like discussing the request with the happened in the worker's case? The Sydney man worked for global software company Intersystems, as a technical specialist. The company had adopted a hybrid working model after the pandemic, with employees able to work from home two days per week. However, in November, the company let staff know they would be required to come into the office full-time, five days a week, from February. The man had requested to continue working from home two days per week, citing caring responsibilities for his two school-aged kids, which he shared with his wife, and the need for work-life balance. This was denied by his employer, who instead offered for him to work from home one day a week. This was rejected, with the worker then taking the matter to Fair Work. The company argued working from the office allowed employees to exchange information, supported mentoring opportunities, and allowed for faster decision making and more efficient resolution of customer issues. Its user survey revealed a 28 per cent decline in customer satisfaction, which prompted management to implement the measures. What did Fair Work decide? Dean found in favour of the employer. She said the evidence did not demonstrate that the employee was required to work from home two days per week in order to meet parental responsibilities. '[He] conceded in cross-examination that he has no specific caring duties between the core working hours of 9am and 5pm, and that he and his wife are able to manage school drop-offs and pick-ups through existing flexibility, including adjusted start and finish times,' she said. She added the employer made 'genuine' attempts to engage with the work from home request, including offering alternative arrangements like working shorter hours on specific days, with the employee giving 'no explanation' why the alternatives were unsuitable. What does this mean for other workers? More workers have been putting flexible work refusals to the test since the government introduced powers under the Secure Jobs Better Pay law. Selvarajah said the case was part of a 'pattern of decisions from the Fair Work Commission' and meant employees had to show a "good enough reason" to support their request. 'It does mean that employees making requests are probably not only going to have to specify the criteria they're relying on, but provide quite detailed reasons as to why the particular flexible work arrangement they're asking for is going to be related to the particular eligibility criteria and actually explain this 'nexus',' she told Yahoo Finance. Selvarajah said some employees may be reluctant to ask for flexible work arrangements if the bar is too high. 'To be engaging with that type of conversation with your employer about the specifics of why you might need to take time off, for example, if you were a family and domestic violence victim, that's quite a huge invasion of privacy,' she said. 'It's quite a lot to ask of employees, and at a time when I think we should be normalising flexible work requests, it actually places a lot of formality and rigmarole around asking for a flexible work request in the first place.' Selvarajah noted the case wasn't a binding precedent and the Commission could change their mind on the interpretation of the legislation and had scope to read it differently. It comes as major companies ask staff to return to the office full-time, including the likes of Amazon, Tabcorp and Flight Centre. Other companies like Woolworths have increased the number of days workers are required in the office.

Fair Work slaps down Aussie dad's WFH request to help care for school-aged kids in bombshell workplace ruling
Fair Work slaps down Aussie dad's WFH request to help care for school-aged kids in bombshell workplace ruling

News.com.au

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • News.com.au

Fair Work slaps down Aussie dad's WFH request to help care for school-aged kids in bombshell workplace ruling

A Sydney dad has failed in a legal bid to force his employer to let him work from home twice a week so he could help care for his school-age children. Sydney father Paul Collins, a technical specialist at global software company Intersystems Australia, lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) seeking flexible working arrangements after attempts to reach a compromise failed. Intersystems operates an online record system in Australia known as TrakCare, utilised by healthcare providers to allow the sharing of health information between facilities and organisations. Mr Collins submitted a formal request to the company in January to work from home every Wednesday and Thursday - citing the need to care for his children, aged 8 and 10, and the need for 'work-life balance'. Until late 2024, Mr Collins had been working remotely on both these days under a hybrid working model adopted by Intersystems following the Covid-19 pandemic. In November that same year, the company announced it was ending this arrangement and staff would need to return to the office five days a week from February 2025. Mr Collins' request was denied, but Intersystems offered an alternate arrangement of one work-from-home day per week. This was rejected and Mr Collins escalated the dispute to the FWC. In her judgment on Monday, FWC deputy president Lyndall Dean said she was not satisfied Mr Collins had established the 'requisite nexus' between his responsibility as a parent and the change he was seeking in his work arrangements. She said his written request 'merely expressed a preference to continue with a pre-existing pattern of remote work' and did not specify how working from home twice a week 'specifically supported or related to his parental responsibilities'. Mr Collins had conceded in cross-examination that he had no specific caring duties between his work hours of 9am-5pm. He was also able to share responsibility for school drop-offs and pick-ups through existing flexibility arrangements, the Commission ruled. 'In my view, the Respondent made genuine attempts to engage with the Applicant's request, including offering alternative arrangements such as working shorter hours on specific days,' Ms Dean said. 'The Applicant gave no explanation as to why these alternatives were unsuitable. 'Accordingly, the request was not validly made, and the Commission lacks jurisdiction to deal with the dispute.' Mr Collins had argued the company had failed to give individual consideration to his circumstances, as members of Intersystems' development team were permitted to work remotely. He pointed to his prior work arrangement in the years before and how it did not affect his 'productivity, availability, or overall performance'. Intersystems, however, said it had provided 'reasonable and sound business reasons' for not approving Mr Collins' initial request. The company maintained their position that employees were required to work from the office to 'facilitate the exchange of information' and allow for faster decision making and enhance customer service delivery. According to a 2024 user survey by Intersystems, there was a 28 per cent decline in customer satisfaction - prompting management to put the changes into effect.

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