COVID-normal workplaces

Should working from home be a ‘collective flexibility’?

Working from home expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Controversy examines how working from home was framed and regulated pre-pandemic. We contrast this with the changes made to Australia's industrial award system during the pandemic to increase flexibilities around working from home, in response to a collective need for a responsive safety net. We argue that the conception and regulation of working from home is shifting from an individual flexibility, to a ‘collective flexibility’ available to a wide array of workers, collectively negotiated and governed by increased regulation. 

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Williamson S, Pearce A. (2022). COVID-normal workplaces: Should working from home be a ‘collective flexibility’?  Journal of Industrial Relations. doi:10.1177/00221856221094894