Charter Hall CEO David Harrison Gets The LOLs

Claude Walker

The online popularity of the Australian Financial Review Property summit has had a boost today, as Charter Hall CEO David Harrison has used the forum to claim that activity-based working is dead, causing plenty of amusement. Charter Hall bills itself as “one of the largest CBD office managers in Australia.”

The Australian Financial Review writes today that “activity-based working is a work style that allows employees to choose where they work, including at home.” Attendees to their property summit were treated to the questionable insight that such activity based working was “dead.” That this insight comes from the CEO of Charter Hall, an office manager, is the cherry on top.

However, this news will come as a surprise to the thousands of workers across both government and private industry who are currently working from home, with no plans to change.

It is unclear whether these views are a reflection of reality or simply rated for their comedic value. From what I can see on Twitter, if it is a comedy show, it is a very successful one.

Those interested in information about working from home that does not originate from David Harrison, who happens to be the CEO of a company that rents out office space, may wish to read this recent report on working from home from the government’s productivity commission. It says:

“Over time, workers are able to change jobs and choose those that better suit their preferences. Anecdotal evidence suggest that many people are already leaving their jobs to pursue the flexibility offered by remote work. Workers may also be willing to accept lower wages to work from home. Survey data from the US suggests that the ability to work from home two or three days per week may be worth a 7% pay rise to workers, and about 40% of workers who currently work from home would seek another job if their current employer required a full return to the office. In reality, we consider that wage reductions are unlikely at the aggregate level.”

In the meantime, stay tuned to the Australian Financial Review for many more articles that are critical of the working from home trend.

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