CENTRAL QUEENSLAND the direct supervision of an RPEQ only if the RPEQ directs the person in the carrying out of the services and oversees and evaluates the carrying out of the services by the person (Professional Engineers Act (Qld), 2002) This Act makes it very clear that the supervision must be ‘direct’, however it does not define ‘direct’. The Board of Professional Engineers has provided clarification that ‘direct’ does not necessarily mean physical co-location. “Direct contact need not be in person, but may be through written correspondence, telephone, or voice or video chat” (BPEQ, 2019). This distinction was made in 2019 before the Zoom boom. In 2021 we have access to much more than just telephone, voice, or video chat. We have online collaboration spaces, screen sharing, instant messages, results trackers, AI to-do lists, virtual reality and all the other technology that we may not know about yet that has been conceived out of COVID. In addition to the Professional Engineers Act, there is Industrial Relations and WHS legislation outlining the duty of care as required of employers. Regardless of a centralised office space or remote working scenario, the requirement for a safe workplace “as far as is reasonably practical” remains unchanged. While it may be straightforward to manage home office trip hazards, screen height adjustments and lighting; managing risks such as isolation, mental health and domestic violence is much more nuanced. There has been a landmark case of workers’ compensation awarded where there was a direct connection between a violent act and work, when undertaking work from home (Workers’ Compensation Nominal Insurer v Hill, 2020). This case demonstrates employers need to implement a holistic approach in providing a safe home working
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environment as required by law. This includes the threat of domestic violence (Wittig, 2020) Other legislation to note are tax and/or employment laws if working remotely or hiring abroad, and Fair Work amongst others. Although the legislation regarding remote working is still incipient, companies can be proactive and develop remote work policies and can access best practice guidelines and support information from Fair Work, Safe Work Australia, and other organisations. Engineering a Remote Future Remote working is much more than a popular trend. It is the modern workplace presenting itself and it is here to stay (Buffer, 2019). Traditional office spaces are being repurposed and replaced with co-working spaces, home offices and work-from-anywhere attitudes. While it may be easier to adopt an ‘all or nothing’ approach, the best results will be found by enabling employees to strike a balance between a traditional office and remote working options. This has been referred to as a ‘blended workforce’, where employees can choose either to work remotely, from a centralised office, or both. While problems are still emerging, if these are met with the same level of design thinking and innovation as the initial remote working shift solutions will be created. This can seem like a big change for some, however, not everyone necessarily needs to change their working conditions. The request is that people will be open and facilitate the diverse working conditions of others. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the remote working framework has been set in motion and the engineering industry can either embrace this new work style or be left behind. In 50 years, there is no doubt that the working environment will look very different to how it does today. There will be a greater
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prioritisation of communication and new ways of collaboration will continue to emerge. It is likely the traditional office space might be retired for coworking spaces or work hubs in suburbs, where small groups of employees meet, instead of commuting to centralised offices. Work contracts may evolve into something of a hybrid between a permanent and casual employee where hours can be chosen for each week and employee benefits accessed. The remote future will see a shift in management structure with a focus on managing outcomes rather than inputs and hours (Mabbott, et al., 2020). The timebased payment system might be scrapped altogether and replaced with an outcome-based model where people are valued for more than just the time sitting at their desk. The future of engineering could emerge into a completely borderless and freelance friendly workforce. This transformation would require a continued uptake in new technologies and work styles to embrace the remote future of engineering. Acknowledgements Lachlan McMurtrie & Kenny Festing References Australian Fair Work Act (2009) s.65, 144 and 202. Author Unknown. (2021). Remote Work Survey 2020. https://employmenthero.com/ whitepapers/remote-workingsurvey-2020/ Author Unknown. (2021). What is Remote Work? https://www. remoteyear.com/blog/what-isremote-work Board of Professional Engineers Queensland. (2019). Practice Note Series – Direct Supervision. https://www.bpeq.qld.gov.au/wpcontent/uploads/2019/06/4.5-1APractice-Note-Direct-Supervision. pdf Buffer. (2019). State Of Remote Work. https://buffer.com/state-ofremote-work-2019
