ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
The Betoota Shire Council has announced that all public servants will be recalled to the office, effectively ending the work-from-home arrangements that have been in place since the pandemic began. The move has sent ripples of panic through the ranks of the Council’s employees, who are now facing the terrifying prospect of having to actually complete tasks in return for their salaries once again.
Betoota Shire Council spokesperson, Daphne Bungknee, addressed the decision in a call with The Advocate this morning.
“As part of our commitment to returning to normalcy, we are ending the remote work arrangements. All employees are expected back in the office starting next Monday,” Bungknee said.
It appears that the days of lounging in pyjamas while sporadically checking emails might be coming to an abrupt end.
Among the Council staff, the news has not been well received. Connor Propellor-Head, a long-time public servant, was seen exiting the Betoota Shire Civic Centre looking distraught.
“This is an outrage,” he told to The Advocate.
“I have ADHD. Being in an office is hard for me because I get distracted easily. Now they expect me to be physically present and actually do my job? Five days a week? I’d quit but if I worked in the private sector, they’d just fire me and laugh.”
Propellor-Head’s sentiments were echoed by many of his colleagues, who expressed a deep sense of betrayal.
“The whole point of working in the public sector is the perks,” said Susan Susan-Susan, a 15-year veteran.
“We’re not in it for the challenge or the excitement, or even to manage ratepayer’s money properly. We’re here because it’s supposed to be easy. Now they want us to work like we’re in the private sector? This is UnAustralian.”
The decision has also sparked debate in the local community. Residents are divided, with some supporting the move as a necessary step towards accountability and efficiency.
“It’s about time they got off their arses and did some real work,” commented Col Ostome, a local business owner.
“I’ve been paying my rates for years, and what do I get? Potholes and paperwork. Maybe now things will actually get done.”
Others, however, worry about the potential loss of productivity.
“I think they were doing just fine from home,” said Portia Raddish, a local resident.
“I called the Council last week to get an update on my DA and all I could hear was a screaming baby and a dog barking in the background. We got there in the end but I don’t mind.”
Betoota Shire Council’s decision comes amid growing concerns about public sector productivity and the perception that public servants enjoy a level of job security and perks not afforded to those in the private sector, where profit and loss are real pressures.
“The private sector has had to adapt and innovate during the pandemic, and they’ve been accountable for their results,” said Bungkee.
“We’re not asking employees to give up their flex-leave. Their carer’s leave. No evidence sick leave. Long service leave. Pet leave. Hangover leave. 5th dead grandparent leave (for blended families). Blended family leave. Mental health leave. Bank holidays and whatnot,”
“We’re just asking them to work.”
More to come.
