Commuters wait for the train at the subway station amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Barcelona, Spain January 12, 2022.
Commuters wait for the train at the subway station amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Barcelona, Spain January 12, 2022.

The Sydney train strike shone a light on the problems Australians face while commuting to work daily as the government pushes for employees to return to offices full-time. A recent viral video perfectly captured the irony of the situation.

Chloe Rae, a 23-year-old commuter, showed the hassles employees bear to get to work each day. "The government wants us to return to offices for the economy, meanwhile it takes three hours to get to work and all of Sydney is stuck at one train station," she wrote.

Rae, who commutes to her office three days a week, said that she cannot afford to return to the office full-time. "If you're like me, and need to move further from the city to afford to live somewhat of a nicer lifestyle, you end up paying $20 a day for a train trip," she said in the video, per News.co.au.

The Sydney rail strike caused massive disruption to the city's rail network, causing delays and cancellations of hundreds of trains. The strike resulted from a pay dispute between the NSW government and seven unions representing 13,000 Sydney Trains employees.

Commuters complained of reduced train speeds in the wake of the strike, with the disruptions further exacerbated by severe weather conditions, with storms causing damage to infrastructure and further disrupting train services.

The Fair Work Commission has temporarily suspended the protected industrial action, but the dispute is far from resolved.

Rae's video resonated with many TikTok users, who shared their own experiences while commuting to work. The users also echoed Rae's sentiment of opposing the return-to-office mandate. Some even said that they were asked to work more hours to compensate for working from home.

The NSW government's decision to end working-from-home privileges for its employees has also faced backlash. Premier Chris Minns announced the change in August 2024, citing the need for employees to return to the office for the upkeep of the economy.

However, the argument wasn't well-received by many who said the approach was outdated and failed to consider the challenges of commuting, particularly in a city like Sydney where transportation can be unreliable.

Zara Tonkin, chief of staff at Employment Hero, agreed that commuting can exhaust employees. "Commuting can be a real drain and leave people tired and time-poor," she said. "Businesses like ours, comprised wholly of laptop-based employees, are able to embrace all the benefits of remote work."

Tonkin believes that working from home increases productivity among employees, allows them to have a better work-life balance, and grants them access to more job opportunities regardless of their location.

Her comments followed Employment Hero's 2024 report that fully remote workers reported better mental health, relaxation, and work-life balance, outpacing hybrid and office-based employees in these areas.