Westpac CEO defends bank’s WFH policy after Fair Work Commission loss
Westpac chief executive Anthony Miller has declared the big bank’s work-from-home setup is the right thing to do, following a heavy loss at the Fair Work Commission last month.
Mortgage banker Karlene Chandler took Westpac to Fair Work after Westpac rejected her request to work from home so she could look after her primary school-age children.
The court heard Ms Chandler, who lives in Wilton, faced a two-hour commute to and from its branch in Kogarah, south of Sydney, and there were no issues with her working fully remotely until January, when the bank revoked its approval of flexible working conditions.
Fair Work found that Westpac had failed to provide “reasonable business reasons” for rejecting Ms Chandler’s request and ruled in her favour.
Addressing investors at the bank’s full-year results presentation on Monday, Mr Miller said the current policy of two to three days a week in the office was “the right balance”.
“Our goal is to be the employer of choice. You know, where the best want to come and get the chance to be the best every day.”
“The second point I want to make is that we’re focused on making sure that we are and can be as flexible, practical and flexible as possible, and I believe we get the balance right. Our policy is to work in the office two to three days a week, (which) we think is the right balance.”
Mr. Miller said the bank focuses on results regardless of an employee’s workplace, but noted that the majority of the institution’s staff work full-time outside a branch.
“Our amazing branch staff are in the office five days a week, working Monday morning through Friday afternoon on branch operations across the country,” he said.
“And their presence and their level of activity brings a lot of business into the bank. And if we’re going to be one team, everyone needs to be sensitive that they can’t come in with an expectation or a sense of entitlement that they’ll only have to be in the office one, two or three days a week when there are others who are committing to five days a week.”
“I work really hard, and we work really hard as a bank to make sure we get the balance right, because what we want to be is a team that delivers and delivers results.”
