Charter Hall boss David Harrison has condemned the idea of working from home to combat the fuel crisis.
Property funds house Charter Hall, which controls the country’s largest office portfolio, has lashed out at suggestions that staff should work from home amid fuel shortages.
The company has pushed back against calls from both international energy bodies and services unions, which have cited the rising costs of fuel as a driver for workers staying home.
Unions this week demanded workers be allowed to work from home amid the global fuel crisis, despite the idea being rejected by government and business chiefs. The International Energy Agency had earlier suggested an increased adoption of WFH arrangements as a way to limit the demand on fuel.
Charter Hall boss David Harrison warned that more companies might switch over to AI if staff did not go into offices
Charter Hall chief executive David Harrison said the business community did not support the recommendation for working from home. He argued that CBDs had less than 5 per cent of workers using cars to travel to work and disputed the basis of energy consumption assumptions driving the IEA’s recommendation.
The property chief warned of an economic spillover effect if working from home took root. “The Covid pandemic drove devastating impacts on the economy, particularly for small to medium enterprises, requiring large-scale government subsidisation,” he said.
He opposes further government intervention in workplace practices, noting that most employers already provide flexibility for employees facing high energy costs. “At a time when the economy is vulnerable, further government intervention would not be productive,” Mr Harrison said.
Mr Harrison said the business community did not support the recommendation for working from home.
He warned that more companies might switch over to AI if staff did not go into offices. “At a time when labour markets are on edge due to the threats posed by AI and a global economic slowdown, it would seem irrational for the government to provide any further impetus for companies to experiment with the use of AI as an alternative to the human labour force,” he said.
“This looks like an own goal to me.”