The Government’s announcement that it wants to see more public servants come into their place of work each day is supported by Hospitality New Zealand.

The Hon. Nicola Willis, Minister for Public Service, has announced that working from home arrangements for public servants must be mutually agreed, ensure employee performance and agency objectives are not compromised, and be actively monitored and reported to the Public Service Commission.

“While carefully defined working from home arrangements can benefit workers and employers, if the pendulum swings too far in favour of working from home, there are downsides for employers and employees. That's even before we consider the effects for the CBD retailers, restaurants and cafes,” said Willis.

Steve Armitage, Hospitality NZ’s Chief Executive, says having more people working from offices will improve foot traffic in city centres, especially in Wellington where the public service has the highest presence.

“Foot traffic drives a significant portion of sales for hospitality businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, and bars,” says Armitage. “City centres rely on a constant flow of people, including office workers, tourists, and shoppers, who engage in spontaneous purchases or stop for food and drinks as they move about their days.

“Our members and other hospitality businesses have reported that Mondays and Fridays, which are the most common work-from-home days for the public service, have seen a big drop in patronage.

“With public service workers now being encouraged to return to the office as the primary place of work, hospitality businesses will be looking forward to seeing increased foot traffic and patronage.”