“It’s a platform that allows a company to effectively subsidise their employee to work from anywhere,” she said. “Without having to worry about all the back office paperwork.”
But while she believes most employers are sanguine about the benefits of flexible work, the executive said some leaders may still need to find a balance on what works for their workforce.
“It is about the balance, and all of us as leaders and as employees, we’re going to have to find a way to find a balance that’s right for the job,” she said.
Officeworks has traditionally aligned itself with small-to-medium sized businesses in the past, but for the first time will look to woo major corporates with its new platform, with Ms Hunter saying the retailer had already seen some preliminary success getting companies on board.
At Wesfarmers’ half-year results last month, Officeworks reported a 3.7 per cent uptick in sales to $1.58 billion for the six months to the end of December, though earnings declined by 18 per cent to $82 million due to supply chain troubles and an influx of lower-margin online orders.
Ms Hunter said the company was continuing to manage the effects of inflation on the business, saying the company was hoping to refrain from price hikes as much as possible.
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