ASU Media Release 06/02/2026

As the final  Fair Work Commission hearing into the Clerks-Private Sector Award is kicks off on Tuesday, a landmark poll has found that a significant majority of Australians believe working from home (WFH) is the new industrial standard, with new polling commissioned by the Australian Services Union (ASU) revealing that 9 in 10 workers (87%) support a formal right to remote work.

The results show that the push by big business groups to trade away basic entitlements like meal breaks and penalty rates in exchange for remote work is increasingly out of touch with a workforce that views WFH as a critical part of ensuring work-life balance (92%).

ASU national secretary Emeline Gaske said the data provides a clear mandate for modernising workplace laws to reflect the reality of how Australians work in 2026.

“Working from home has become a critical part of managing work, caring and other responsibilities for so many Australians,” Ms Gaske said. “The fact that almost 9 in 10 of us support a right to work from home shows that the community has moved on, even if some employer groups are still stuck in the past”.

The ASU submission will argue that Work from Home has become an integral part of sustaining work-life balance for many and workers will be giving evidence about the critical role work from home plays in their lives, providing Australians with the opportunity to spend less time commuting and more time with their friends, families and in the community. The modern workplace needs to ensure that where possible, this right is granted by default. 

The poll found that 60 per cent of Australians believe remote work should be the default or presumed arrangement for any office job that can be done remotely. Furthermore, 60 per cent of respondents agree that employers should not have the right to unilaterally end remote work arrangements and force staff back to the office. 

Despite this high level of support, the data reveals that a significant number of employers are still failing to keep up with demand. Nearly one-third of workers (32%) reported that they, or someone they know, have had a request to work from home knocked back by their employer.

“It is concerning that nearly one-third of people are still facing barriers to flexible work,” Ms Gaske said. “That is why a whopping 87 per cent of Australians are demanding specific workplace protections to ensure staff are not penalised or disadvantaged just for requesting to work from home”.

The poll results also challenge the myth promulgated big business groups that remote work hurts the bottom line with 2 in 3 workers (66%) agreeing that working from home has fewer distractions than the office, making employees more productive.

“As our submission to Fair Work on Tuesday will show, these results prove that flexible work is a win-win for everyone,” Ms Gaske said. “We have 2 in 3 Australians agreeing that there is higher productivity when working from home, yet we still see business lobbies trying to use the location of work as an excuse for a cynical rights and cash grab. The Australian public is sending a clear message: it is time to protect our time and our rights, no matter where we do our jobs”.