As President of the local chapter of a worldwide federation of young professionals and entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 40, Giselle Borg Olivier’s views on discussions surrounding modern work practices carry all the more weight.

Wading into what some still view as a controversial discussion, the JCI Malta President highlights an imbalance, where there is much information on the pros of working from home, with little information or insight into “the repercussions around people who say that they absolutely want to work from home, no matter what”.

Working from home can take various forms, with most companies seeming to adopt a hybrid policy in this post-COVID climate, with workers given the option to work from the office as well as at home.

Ms Borg Olivier’s comments are mainly geared towards those workers who are opting to work from home an overwhelming majority of the time. This can be particularly problematic for newer workers, who haven’t spent years absorbing a company’s culture and learning about their colleagues.

Off the bat, Ms Borg Olivier says she would be “concerned to employ someone who told me that they only wanted to work from home, because to every statement there is another side to be considered”.

Here, she qualifies that she is not talking about those who are also carers in their home or have a condition that makes it difficult for them to leave home each day.

“Working from home doesn't allow for teamwork; there's no interest in company culture; colleagues are simply names over email or faces/voices on a screen for a prescribed amount of time; there's nothing beyond getting the job description done,” she shares in musings posted to social media.

“It's a truth that needs to be considered because there will be human repercussions to this way of working.

“My preference? flexible working conditions that allow one to work from home when necessary, with an office base to come together.”

Ms Borg Olivier has had an exceedingly busy couple of months. In December, it was announced that she would be taking over from Matthew Camilleri at the helm of the crowd-funding and alternative finance providing platform, Zaar.

She has over 15 years of experience in marketing communications, and business and strategy knowledge from a newly acquired MBA.

In January 2022, she also took over from Nicole Borg as President of JCI Malta.

JCI Malta is the local affiliate of the Junior Chamber International, an independent, worldwide federation of young professionals and entrepreneurs which aims to provide the opportunity for young people to develop their leadership and entrepreneurship skills to create positive change.