A senior university leader has stepped down from her position after facing intense criticism for controversial remarks made about staff working from home.
The Controversial Comments
Paula Ward, who served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Adelaide University with responsibility for human resources, resigned this week following a significant backlash from academic staff. The controversy began during a 'town hall' meeting in late October, where Ms Ward addressed more than 1,000 staff members about the university's plans to introduce stricter remote working policies.
During her presentation, Ms Ward claimed that the new regulations would prevent staff who worked from home on both Friday and Monday from effectively creating 'four-day weekends'. The comment immediately sparked outrage among staff who had connected to the meeting remotely, with many describing her remarks as 'disgraceful' and 'insensitive' to their working arrangements.
Immediate Backlash and Apology
The reaction from staff was swift and forceful. Andrew Miller, Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union's South Australia Division, reported that 'the roof exploded' following Ms Ward's comment. He explained that the remark demonstrated that Ms Ward, as head of human resources, didn't 'trust the professionalism of staff' and showed a fundamental lack of sensitivity toward their flexible work arrangements.
Ms Ward briefly left the virtual meeting before returning to apologise for her comment, but the damage to staff relations had already been done. The issue resurfaced during a second town hall meeting last week, where university staff raised continued concerns about Ms Ward's work-from-home remarks. Notably, Ms Ward did not attend this follow-up meeting.
Broader Implications and Context
Mr Miller emphasised that many staff have caring responsibilities, children, and other factors that require flexible working arrangements which had previously been accommodated in what he described as a 'progressive workplace'. The incident highlighted growing tensions around remote work policies in the higher education sector.
Ms Ward had begun her position as head of human resources last year, with her role being particularly significant in overseeing the merger between Adelaide University and South Australia University. The combined institution, backed by more than $450 million in state taxpayer funds, is scheduled to begin operations on January 1 next year.
A university spokesman declined to confirm Ms Ward's resignation but acknowledged her substantial contributions to establishing the combined university, noting that staff retention during the merger process had been among the highest either foundation institution had ever seen.
