<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Policies threatening the right to work from home in the public sector may have wider consequences at the ballot box this election.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After Peter Dutton pushed forward with plans to force thousands of public service workers back into the office full-time if the Coalition won the election, the sanctity of hybrid work became a hot-button voter issue – so much so the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/peter-dutton-work-from-home-backflip-opposition-leader-explains-policy-change/7bad2870-336c-47fb-807b-90d48569c931" rel="" target="" title="opposition leader walked back the policy just one week into the campaign"><span>opposition leader walked back the policy just one week into the campaign</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jordan Carroll, 25, isn't a federal worker but he's among the voters who highly value workplace flexibility.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-policy-promises-anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-housing-tax-energy-health-explained/69f5f5d2-2fff-4aa3-b10e-8ce7d707a50f" target="_blank"><strong><span>The major election promises Labor and the Coalition have made to try and win your vote</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Carroll left his 9-5 job at Commonwealth Bank to start his own business and isn't surprise voter sentiment would shift in favour of flexibility.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He quit CBA before it ordered workers to return to the office 50 per cent of the time and enjoyed a hybrid model while still working at the bank.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Perceptions are changing in terms of what people want from their career," Caroll, who started his research company The Launch Crew after the COVID-19 pandemic, told 9news.com.au.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-working-from-home-policy-interview-with-small-business-owner/2f97bbdf-23d8-4ead-8b77-8d58b1f3fa67" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People are realising that enjoyment of life doesn't just come from money, it comes from the social side of life… and you get more of that from flexibility at work."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to a survey conducted by Rippling, 42 per cent of people would re-consider joining a company if it expected full-time office attendance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than half of those surveyed also said they rank family-oriented benefits such as flexible hours and parental leave above all else, including salary.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Carroll said he'd also likely choose the benefits of regular work from home over more money if he was job hunting again.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The quality of life would reduce a lot [without WFH]," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You can save money with more flexibility, spending less out on lunch, if you have kids you don't necessarily need childcare or you don't need to pay hideous rent in Sydney, I could live somewhere else a bit cheaper," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/customer-left-confused-after-commbank-closes-account-with-no-warning-or-reason/1e71ae74-02f9-4f1d-8ff9-f73e2acbca57" target="_blank"><strong><span>Customer left confused after bank closes accounts with no warning or reason</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Vice president and head of Rippling Matt Loop said hybrid work can feel like an eight per cent salary boost when you combine savings on commutes, parking and lunches.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For many households, ditching the train fare or after-school care is worth more than a modest bump in base pay," he explained, referencing an estimate made by the </span><a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2024/09/working-from-home-is-powering-productivity-bloom" rel="" target="_blank" title="International Monetary Fund"><span>International Monetary Fund</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Carroll described Dutton's earlier vow to ban working from home for public sector workers as a "kick in the teeth".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And Loop anticipates this reneged policy will still loom large over the federal election as Australians head to the polls, despite Dutton walking it back and insisting it would never have impacted private-sector employees.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The debate around flexibility now extends far beyond just the workplace. When an issue shapes everyday life so strongly, it can become a key factor that affects voting decisions – like healthcare or economic policy," Loop said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Tough talk on WFH from public figures might play well to those who equate employee presence with effort, but it completely ignores where the mainstream sits.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Recent events show how quickly sentiment can shift when policies appear out of step with workforce realities."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-the-top-five-issues-affecting-young-voters/060827d6-2dec-4d06-8b78-f7c156fb1831" target="_blank"><strong><span>The top five issues affecting young voters at this year's federal election</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-campaign-movements-appearances/bfab28d5-dcd6-472f-81fb-aec452631930" target="_blank"><strong><span>Where Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have been on the campaign trail</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) took aim at the Coalition's work-from-home stance before Dutton's backflip and said it would primarily hurt women in the workforce.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Peter Dutton's one-size-fits-all approach will take us backwards," ACTU president Michele O'Neil said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Having the freedom to work from home has helped a million extra women enter the workforce in the past four years."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>