The government faces pressure to enable remote work for public sector employees wherever possible due to climbing fuel costs, with certain private companies weighing various forms of assistance.
Nations like Vietnam and Thailand are encouraging remote work to help conserve fuel.
For Public Sector Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons, New Zealand should adopt a similar approach.
“We’re calling on the New Zealand government to take note of these overseas examples and also encourage public sector workers in New Zealand to work from home,” Fitzsimons said.
“Working from home in this environment has lots of benefits. It will reduce the demand on fuel. It will mean more workers are able to get by and don’t suffer the shock of increased petrol prices.”
“The government could easily indicate to the public sector that more workers should work from home, and it would overnight have a difference for those people,” she added.
Looking at the private sector, ANZ highlighted its flexible work policy, which allows most employees to work remotely for up to 50% of their time.
“We understand flexibility doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone, and flexible arrangements will vary depending on the employee’s role, what part of the business they work in, where they are, personal circumstances, and available technology,” a spokesperson said.
ANZ employees needing additional help can discuss short-term support options with their manager, where available.
Fonterra provides flexible working options for office-based roles and urges staff to openly discuss their circumstances with managers if needed.
Alan McDonald, head of advocacy at the Employers and Manufacturers Association, said more employers would likely adopt such measures if fuel prices climb much higher or the issue persists.
Employment lawyers noted that workers under budget strain can still request remote work arrangements, even if their employer isn’t proactively offering them.
“The question is whether they have to say yes, and the starting point will be they probably don’t necessarily have to,” Duncan Cotterill’s Alastair Espie said.
“If your contract says your place of work is the employer’s premises or offices or site or whatever, then any deviation from that would need to be by agreement.
“If the employer says no, you can look at making, say, a formal flexible working request. But that’s a sort of a longer process, and it’s not necessarily just going to solve it on a day-to-day basis in the short term.”