Background: Myer opened its first store in Bendigo, Victoria, in 1900. Today, it operates 56 department stores across Australia. And after acquiring Jay Jays, Dotti, Just Jeans, Portmans, and Jacqui E last year, it has grown into the Myer Group, employing around 17,000 people.  

What happened: Myer is moving its store support office to South Melbourne, but there's a catch: staff are being told to return to the office five days a week. That's a big shift for employees who've been working from home since the pandemic.    

What else: The timing is interesting. Victoria's government is currently working on new laws that could give employees the right to flexible work, potentially clashing with Myer's return-to-office plans. But those laws are currently in limbo after stalling in the Victorian State Parliament ahead of the November state election.

What's the key learning?

💡 Myer isn't waiting around for the rules to change. They're setting their own first. But by changing its policy now, Myer is taking on a bit of a risk if those laws come into effect.

💡 Taking away arrangements staff have grown used to could damage workplace culture, especially in Victoria, where workers spent the most time working remotely because of long lockdowns.

💡 Forcing people back could hurt morale and productivity. A reported 65% of Australian workers would choose good work-life balance over higher pay... while people with flexible work arrangements cite better work-life balance as the biggest benefit of working from home.