‘Hold them captive’: Australian billionaire boss aims to end staff going out for coffee

A billionaire mining boss who has already banned home working has said he does not want staff to step out of the office for coffee either.

Chris Ellison, the managing director of Mineral Resources, said the industry could not afford to continue down the path of flexible working, and that his company was investing in amenities at the firm’s head office in Perth, Western Australia, to keep people from leaving the building.

“I want to hold them captive all day long,” Ellison said during a financial presentation on Thursday. “I don’t want them leaving the building … I don’t want them walking down the road for a cup of coffee. We kind of figured out a few years ago how much that cost.”

Ellison, who was paid A$6m (£3.1m) last year, criticised other businesses that allowed their staff to work from home. His ASX-listed company, which is worth about A$8bn and employs about 5,600 people, formally banned the practice last year, despite the widespread trend of more remote working since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have a no-work-from-home policy,” Ellison said. “I wish everyone else would get on board with that – the sooner the better. The industry can’t afford it.”

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