Coles makes huge WFH decision – here’s what it means for its thousands of workers

Coles has tightened working-from-home rules for staff at its massive Melbourne headquarters.

A memo from CEO Leah Weckert, posted on social media on Wednesday, states that all head office staff will have to work in the office one day a week from next week.

The staff will then have to be in the office three days a week for the next six months. One of those days in the office “should” be Monday or Friday, Ms. Weckert says.

Coles has approximately 5,000 office workers.

“By recognizing the diversity of our workforce, each team will transition to our new ways of working at a pace that suits them, allowing time to plan and adapt,” Ms Weckert said.

‘I encourage you to consider any arrangements you may need to make to facilitate our new way of working.’

Coles’ head office is located in Hawthorn East, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. The entire complex includes 12 interconnected office buildings, two underground parking garages and a multi-storey parking garage.

Coles still has five years left on its 15-year lease for the 62,000 sq ft, according to information from the property developer who worked on the recent expansion.

One commenter on the CEO’s memo says the “huge building and parking lot” can accommodate thousands of people, with its own coffee shop, convenience store and chef for breakfast and lunch every day of the work week.

But the changes also apply to Coles’ other offices across the country.

Coles’ drinks division has moved to the new arrangement in recent months, with the three-day-a-week rule coming into effect for those staff on January 6.

‘Our business and the way we work have evolved significantly in recent years, and I hope this note gives you clarity on our commitment to both providing flexibility and creating opportunities for teams to physically connect, collaborate and collaborate win’, Mrs Weckert. says in the memo.

A Coles spokesperson said the changes “balance” flexibility with personal collaboration.

‘We know that many of our team have already returned to the support centers a few days a week, and this change is about how we continue to promote a collaborative working environment and support the development of our people to help our customers. ‘, the spokesperson said.

The NSW Government, Amazon, Dell, Tabcorp and Flight Center have been some of the recent major employers to send staff back to the office.

Survey results released last month show more than half of Australia’s 500 tech companies are losing staff to companies with more flexible working arrangements.