Highlights
- Thousands of workers back into offices after a year
- Employers face challenges in getting workers to return
- Employees prefer flexible work arrangements
Thousands of workers have flocked back to Melbourne CBD and suburban offices with some going into work a few days and others returning full time.
Acting Premier James Merlino that “more Victorians back at work means more people supporting their local cafes, restaurants and live music venues – boosting the economy where it’s needed most.” 
Muhammad Jawad a tax accountant started his new role a few months before the COIVD-19 lockdowns started and after a year working from home, he has recently returned to work full time.
Working from office. Image used for representation purpose. Source: Getty Images/Luis Alvarez
While talking to SBS Urdu he says that he is “very excited to be going to the office after a year, meeting his colleagues, catching up for coffee and taking lunch breaks which is what he missed most during the lockdowns.”
But at the same time, Jawad prefers working from home for a few days as it gives him the flexibility and work-life balance he is looking for.
Saima Hasan, owner of an advertising agency found it very hard adjusting to the new normal of working from home as most of her work involves face-to-face interaction with clients and events.
Saima is glad that her employees can start coming back to the office though she is facing another challenge that some of her staff still prefer working from home.
Working from home, used for representation purposes only. Source: Getty Images/Alistair Berg
“I gave the option to my staff last year in November if they wanted to come back to the office or work from home, but the majority did not want to come back into the office and they still do not want too which is a new challenge for me as a business owner,” says Saima.
Raza Arif works as a software test manager and currently leads a team of six people for an I.T company.
He started going back to the office almost after a year and says that going back in was “a very strange feeling”.
“The good thing is that we have a gradual start back at work, where we are not required to come in five days a week, which is helping with the transition period,” says Raza.
Raza further added that “the city feels a lot different than before, it’s not as busy as it used to be.”
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