{"id":99294,"date":"2025-10-24T20:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/99294\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T20:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:46:11","slug":"meet-the-wfh-mum-who-never-could-have-expected-the-scale-of-her-landmark-win-over-westpac-as-her-family-issue-a-humble-message-about-work-while-she-does-the-school-drop-off-and-hits-her-kpis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/99294\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the WFH mum who NEVER could have expected the scale of her landmark win over Westpac – as her family issue a humble message about work while she does the school drop off AND hits her KPIs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Longtime Westpac<\/a> employee Karlene Chandler won a landmark case against the bank over her right to work from home so she could care for her children.<\/p>\n

During a day’s work on Friday, she left her home on a new estate 80km south-west of Sydney<\/a> only twice – to ferry her six-year-old twin daughters to and from school.<\/p>\n

Ms Chandler’s husband Brett answered the doorbell of the four-bedroom house when the Daily Mail rang after the second car journey.<\/p>\n

He said his wife would not be publicly discussing her win against Westpac and directed inquiries to the Finance Sector Union.<\/p>\n

‘We’re not going to make any comment on it,’ he said. ‘We’re just keeping our head down, bum up, just so we don’t antagonise anyone.’<\/p>\n

A Fair Work Commission ruling which granted Ms Chandler the right to work from home has ignited a storm of debate across Australia, exposing deep divisions over the future of flexible work<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ms Chandler, a Westpac employee for 23 years, requested to work from home so she could manage school drop-offs and collection and care for her twins.<\/p>\n

The Chandler family moved to Wilton in the Wollondilly Shire in 2021 to be closer to a private school but ended up further away from Westpac offices.<\/p>\n

\"Karlene <\/p>\n

Karlene Chandler won a landmark case against Westpac after the bank refused to let her work from home five days a week. She is pictured on Friday after picking her children up from school<\/p>\n

\"During <\/p>\n

During a day’s work on Friday, Ms Chandler left her home on a new housing estate 80km south-west of Sydney only twice, to ferry her six-year-old twin daughters to and from school<\/p>\n

Mr Chandler works long hours across NSW and interstate while it took two hours to travel from the school to Ms Chandler’s office from their new home.<\/p>\n

Westpac denied Ms Chandler’s request, arguing her lengthy commute was a consequence of personal choices and would negatively affect business operations.<\/p>\n

The bank insisted\u00a0she attend its Kogarah office, 70km from Wilton, at least two days a week under its hybrid work policy.<\/p>\n

Ms Chandler then proposed a compromise, offering to do her in-office days at a Westpac branch in Bowral, 40km from Wilton, but that was also rejected.<\/p>\n

In response, Ms Chandler challenged the decision under the Fair Work Act’s flexible work provisions, which apply to specific groups including parents of school-aged children and individuals over 55.<\/p>\n

Deputy President Tom Roberts ruled in Ms Chandler’s favour, stating there was no doubt she could perform her role entirely remotely as she had done it successfully for four years.<\/p>\n

Mr Roberts concluded Westpac not only failed to genuinely consider the request, but also lacked reasonable business grounds to reject it.<\/p>\n

The ruling could pave the way for stronger remote work entitlements, placing greater weight on individual circumstances over corporate preferences when roles are demonstrably suited to online delivery.<\/p>\n

\"Ms <\/p>\n

Ms Chandler’s win against Westpac is being hailed as a significant outcome for working parents and may set a precedent for future flexible work disputes, a union said<\/p>\n

The Finance Sector Union also warned the decision may have far-reaching consequences for large employers seeking to enforce rigid return-to-office mandates.<\/p>\n

The ruling set off a flood of public debate, with thousands weighing in online.<\/p>\n

While supporters say the decision is a victory for work-life balance, critics warn it could backfire, fuelling job cuts, offshoring, and declining productivity.<\/p>\n

‘Everyone that works from home says the same thing, “I work harder”, but visit them during work hours and they’re doing house chores,’ one commenter claimed.<\/p>\n

A recurring concern was that remote roles could be outsourced to cheaper overseas labour.<\/p>\n

‘If she can do her job remotely, they’ll give it to someone cheaper overseas. She just shot herself in the foot,’ another said.<\/p>\n

Others argued working from home deepens inequality, particularly for younger staff who miss out on mentorship, and for frontline workers, nurses, truck drivers and teachers, who don’t have that option.<\/p>\n

Some claimed the case sent a dangerous signal about ‘motherly entitlement’.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A Fair Work Commission ruling granting Ms Chandler the right to work from home has ignited a storm of fury across Australia, exposing deep divisions over the future of flexible work<\/p>\n

‘What she’s done is make employers rethink hiring women,’ one woman argued. ‘They already assume we’ll go off and get pregnant – now they’ll think we’ll demand to work from home.’<\/p>\n

But others strongly defended Ms Chandler’s stance.<\/p>\n

‘We complain about migration but love to make things hard for mums,’ one commenter said.<\/p>\n

‘WFH gives parents an extra few hours a day for their kids. Families are less rushed and less stressed. It’s good for society.’<\/p>\n

Another argued flexible work could even help reverse Australia’s falling birth rate: ‘If we show girls a manageable version of motherhood, they might see they don’t have to choose between a career and children.’<\/p>\n

Critics said Ms Chandler’s commute was her choice, but others countered that skyrocketing housing costs force many Australians to live far from their workplaces.<\/p>\n

‘With housing the way it is, most people can’t afford to live near the CBD. It’s not a lifestyle choice, it’s a financial necessity,’ one person wrote.<\/p>\n

Others pointed out WFH can boost productivity through fewer distractions and shorter commutes.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Chandler family moved to Wilton in Wollondilly Shire in 2021 to be closer to a private school but ended up further away from Westpac offices<\/p>\n

One worker said: ‘I’m more productive at home, no randoms at my desk, no traffic, no exhaustion. I work longer hours and my employer gets more out of me.’<\/p>\n

Beyond the legal implications, the debate also revealed generational rifts.<\/p>\n

‘They (Boomers) haven’t been employed since 1988 and are stuck in that mindset… Technology has come a long way. I’m monitored to within an inch of my life and still get my work done,’ one commenter said.<\/p>\n

Another wrote: ‘Running a business isn’t about how many people are in an office. Only dinosaurs think productivity equals presence.’<\/p>\n

But recruitment expert Tammie Bayliss said the tide has already turned against remote work and that fewer employers were hiring staff for remote work jobs.<\/p>\n

‘Work-from-home jobs are disappearing,’ she said. ‘Since the pandemic ended, fewer employers are offering hybrid options.’<\/p>\n

Major corporations including Amazon, Dell, Tabcorp and Flight Centre have already ordered staff back to the office full-time.<\/p>\n

‘People have taken the p***, to be quite frank, and big companies want them back… If you want a remote job, start your own business,’\u00a0Ms Bayliss said.<\/p>\n

She added that rising unemployment and a tightening job market mean workers now have less leverage.<\/p>\n

‘Two years ago, I’d have said differently – but in 2025, work-from-home jobs are becoming rare… If people quit because they’re losing WFH days, there’ll be plenty lining up to replace them.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Longtime Westpac employee Karlene Chandler won a landmark case against the bank over her right to work from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99295,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[85,138,557,111,43,139,69,1734,17239],"class_list":{"0":"post-99294","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-australia","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-dailymail","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-nz","15":"tag-sydney","16":"tag-westpac"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}