Karlene Chandler’s been working with Westpac for 23 years. Since 2017, most of that work has been done from home.
More recently, she’s done the work part-time, spread out over five days to fit within school hours.
But in January 2025, she was ordered to return to a “corporate” office two days a week. Chandler suggested an alternative arrangement that would enable her to still drop and pick up her kids from school: working from Westpac’s Bowral office, which was closer to home. That too was rejected.
After comments from management, including that “work from home is no substitute for childcare”, Chandler has won big against the bank in a decision by the Fair Work Commission, which this week ruled the bank must comply with her request to work from home.
It’s a decision that highlights how requests for flexible work arrangements get lost in management processes — in this case, one manager accepted the request before a second manager rejected it — and how blanket office requirements can fail.
And it’s a decision that should provide a reality check for Westpac, especially after CEO Anthony Miller’s recent comments to staff that he “works every day, including Christmas day”.
It should also serve as a reality check for any employer expecting a worker’s partner — if they have one — to easily step in and manage caring responsibilities, something Westpac attempted to do in this case.
Furthermore, the decision highlights the consequences of an employer failing to respond to flexibility requests within 21 days, as required under the Fair Work Act.
Indeed, reading through the FWC decision, it’s remarkable to see the many mistakes such a large employer made in handling this request from Chandler.
Chandler is in Westpac’s Mortgage Operations, Certifications and Settlements Team, where her responsibilities include advancing loans, discharging internal debts and actioning enquiries which come through the team inbox. She works part-time, typically from 8am to 2pm, five days a week, and communicates via virtual Teams meetings. The school she drops the kids at is approximately 25 to 30 minutes away from their family home in the opposite direction of Westpac’s closest corporate office, with school start and finish times sitting outside of Chandler’s work day: starting at 7:40 am and ending at 2:25 pm.
As such, Chandler asked the FWA to grant her original request to work from home; if not, she proposed the alternative, compromised position of working from the Bowral office.
While FWC deputy president Tom Roberts acknowledged that Chandler had made choices to adjust her location (she and her partner bought a house South of Sydney and 2021) and send her children to a school of her choice, he noted that Westpac had permitted remote working arrangements for an extended period.
Chandler’s history of successfully working from home was also noted, something she has been doing since early 2017 when she was required to attend a corporate office only once a week. In mid-2018, she worked remotely full-time until taking parental leave in February 2018. On her return in April 2021, she continued working remotely until August 2022 when she was told she’d need to attend a corporate office one day per month.
But Westpac’s blanket “Hybrid Working Policy” changed that, requiring employees — including Chandler — to attend a corporate office two days each week
The FWA noted “there is no question” that Chandler’s work can be performed remotely, and that she has been doing so successfully for a number of years. Her deadlines have been met or exceeded, and her individual performance ratings are high. There has been no loss of productivity or efficiency, nor any negative impact on customer service.
Westpac claimed the office attendance was necessary, but the FWC wasn’t buying it. Especially since the work is done virtually, and as Chandler has long demonstrated her ability to not only complete tasks but also exceed expectations in her performance.