Agriculture Department staff reject hot-desking, seat booking plans in CPSU survey

The department, which denies it is adopting hot-desking, says the planned "flexible seating arrangements" will give its employees more choice about where and how they work.

Results from a union survey last month flagged resistance to the hot-desking plans as the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment prepares to move into its new CQ2 offices next year.

ACT-based Agriculture Department staff told the Community and Public Sector Union survey they heard about the hot-desking plans from the union first.

The survey found 69 per cent of respondents disagreed with the introduction of the proposed "flexible seating project and booking system". Another 27 per cent said they were unsure about the plans, while more than 70 per cent did not believe the department would consider their feedback during the rollout.

CPSU deputy national president Brooke Muscat said the department had refused to consult, and that the hot-desking policy put staff workplace health and safety at risk as workers came out of lockdown.

"Now is absolutely not the time to implement policies like this, there are complex WHS issues to work through first as staff return to offices," she said.

"The Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment have tried to creep in hot-desking under the cover of a lockdown, without any consultation with their staff.

"In fact, the CPSU were the first to disclose the new policy to many staff, reflecting how sneaky and badly managed it has been.

"Members have told us they are disappointed by the lack of consultation and scared of the implications while we are still mid-pandemic."

An Agriculture Department spokesperson denied it was rolling out hot-desking and said "flexible seating arrangements" would give staff more choice and individual control about how and where they worked.

"It creates an opportunity for staff to use spaces differently to support the way they are actually working and will allow the department to use its resources more efficiently," the spokesperson said.

"We have briefed the leaders of areas in the pilot spaces who then engaged directly with their teams.

"The department is undertaking extensive engagement and consultation with staff, this engagement has occurred in accordance with the department's enterprise agreement and has included engagement with the CPSU."

Union delegates recently met with department managers to clarify the hot-desking pilot program under way, and proposals for seating arrangements.

The CPSU reported the department had said the timeline for consultation and fitout would be complete by the end of 2021.

Seating plans will be negotiated and agreed, most likely at the business line or branch level, the union said. A proposed outsourced booking system would aim to prevent workers being disadvantaged, by avoiding a "first in, best dressed" system.

"DAWE has introduced a new 'flexible seating project'. Whatever the terminology, it will mean that many workers will not have their own desk," the union told members.

"This project is being done before fitting out and moving into CQ2 in 2022 which is an inefficient, wasteful use of taxpayer funds."

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The CPSU said consultation had so far seemed mainly to involve senior executive service public servants, who would not be affected by the changes.

"It is unfair that SES will not be affected by this project. Their offices should be available to workers as meeting spaces or for quiet work when SES work from home," the union said.

The Agriculture Department said the planned changes reflected the workforce's changing expectations about new ways of working by removing the traditional emphasis on location.

"Aligned with our flexible working policy, these arrangements enable staff to work within departmental buildings or virtually, meaning that people will not need a desk in the office every day," the spokesperson said.

The plans would comply with SafeWork Australia protocols for COVID-19 safe work environments, they said.

Agriculture Department staff in its Civic offices on Marcus Clarke Street and London Circuit will relocate to the $78 million new CQ2 building in the third quarter of 2022. The building, on the corner of Cooyong Street and Northbourne Avenue, is under construction.

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