Unions are manipulating the female employee with their faux support for working from home when in fact it is putting both the small business, the employee and, in particular, female employees, at risk.
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Let's be clear. This isn't about providing work-from-home options as many businesses did that already. Using the line that 9-5 work hours are outdated won't work as we have been living in a 24/7 economy for a while now.
This is an anti-worker anti-small business movement.
This is about stripping small businesses of their ability to have informal and flexible arrangements with staff. The unions have had small biz in their sights for a while as it's the largest employer in Australia and an entire sector of potential members; they are blinking dollar signs and power.
However this will backfire. Unfortunately, unions no longer represent the employees like they used to so we must question every move they make - especially if you think it's a positive one. This is NOT empowering the employee, it's crippling them right in front of their face.
Yes, women benefit from flexible working arrangements but they won't benefit if their role is replaced because the small business is all of a sudden finding itself checking with the union before they make a move.
The on-the-go flexibility small business provides will go. This means that even if you do work from home they will be tracking your work and when you want to have time off for personal use they'll probably have to say no as they'll also be tied down by the fear of being dragged to Fair Work because of the new right to disconnect laws.
This will become such a burden for the small business owner that employees will be replaced with overseas workers, AI and contractors. In fact, small businesses are already replacing employees with overseas workers because of the tsunami of legislation the government has brought in crippling the ability for any small business to thrive.
It is also very likely the small business sector will continue to close its doors (1000 per day in Australia as we speak) and that will simply leave the employee the union claims to represent without a job at all.
One must ask if that is actually what they wanted all along?
- Amanda Rose is the founder of Entrepreneurial and Small Business Women Australia.
This is an anti-worker anti-small business movement.
