Flight Centre Travel Group founder Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner has said that too much workplace flexibility can impact productivity negatively.
Speaking to Travel Weekly, Turner said while flexibility has its place, the pendulum has swung too far – with consequences for both output and workplace culture.
“You will see one of Australia’s problems with productivity, and a fair bit of that, I believe, comes from it being too flexible,” Turner said.
“Some degree of flexibility is good, but being too flexible has the opposite effect.”
The comments come as workplace policies continue to evolve across the travel industry, with many companies still balancing hybrid expectations with a return to office push.
For Flight Centre, however, the stance is clear: physical presence matters – particularly in a retail-led business.
“You can’t work in a store from home,” Turner said.
More broadly, he argued that collaboration – not isolation – is what drives both performance and wellbeing.
“We find for people’s mental health, as well as productivity, working together in a collaborative environment, whether you’re in a store or in a head office, is generally by far the best way.”
Turner added that flexibility, when taken too far, risks undermining not just output but connection.
“Working with other people is really important for people’s… mental health and happiness to a large extent, if the environment’s right.”
His comments are likely to reignite debate across the sector, as travel companies weigh up how far to lean into hybrid work while rebuilding teams, culture and performance post-pandemic.
