Billionaire boss who banned WFH wants to stop staff leaving the office for coffee
A billionaire mining boss who has already banned home-working has said he wants to stop staff at the company “walking down the road for a cup of coffee”.
Chris Ellison, the chief executive of the Australian miner Mineral Resources, said he was trying to make its Perth headquarters as appealing as possible as he does not want staff “leaving the building”.
He said: “I want to hold them captive all day long. I don’t want them leaving the building.
“I don’t want them walking down the road for a cup of coffee. We kind of figured out a few years ago how much that costs, wandering out around lunch time.”
He said the head office has a restaurant, a gym and “other facilities that keeps them glued in there”.
Mr Ellison, who is worth $1.2bn (￡900m) according to Forbes, told analysts on an earnings call: “I have a no-work-from-home-policy. I wish everyone else would get on board with that, the sooner the better.
“We can’t have people working three days a week and picking up five days a week pay.”
As well as on-site nurses and doctors, the company has nine psychologists on its payroll to tackle mental health problems and a A$20-a-day creche (￡10.34) to help parents juggle busy schedules and childcare costs.
“Drop the little tykes off next door,” said Mr Ellison. “We’re going to feed them, but mom and dad will be working in our office”.
The office is said to have a top chef serving seafood, Asian fusion and sushi for around A$10, a special air filtration system which minimises germs, water which meets organic and pesticide-free thresholds and an art gallery.
Mr Ellison, who is from New Zealand, co-founded Mineral Resources in 2006 as part of a merger of three mining companies. The son of a pig farmer, Mr Ellison started his career as a crane driver after leaving school aged 15.
Companies around the world are hiring so-called experience consultants to make their offices more inviting as employees push back on returning to their desks after the pandemic.
One employer is infusing its office with essential oils to reduce staff stress levels, the BBC said this year, while another is looking at which colour schemes motivated workers.
Mr Ellison’s stance is unusual in Australia, where around four in 10 staff work from home at least once a week, according to official statistics.
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However companies in Australia, which this week introduced a right-to-disconnect rule so staff can ignore bosses’ late-night messages, are starting to crack down on remote work.
Australian bank ANZ last year warned that staff could be paid lower bonuses if they don’t spend at least half of their working week in the office.
Similar trends are taking place in the UK as bosses fear home working is damaging productivity and team culture. While some companies force workers back, others including major law firms and accountants are starting to monitor office attendance.