Gone are the days where employees worked 9-5, Monday to Friday, at the same desk, in the same office, every single day. Clock in, clock out.
Gone are the days where it was considered ‘flexible’ to allow someone to simply finish an hour early on Tuesdays to take their kids to soccer training. All eyes watch them leave the office at 4pm.
Gone are the days where employers didn’t want employees that have interests, side hobbies, or small businesses out of the workplace. It might detract from their work!

Now, for many, the desire for flexibility means the ability to holistically integrate work priorities and life priorities.

Employers – if you want to be leading the way – it is not about finding ways to help your employees BALANCE work and life – it is about helping them find ways to  INTEGRATE their work and their lives.

It is the ability to offer employees the flexibility and choice of when people work, where they work, and how they work. It’s about a personal and individualised solution that enables an employee to blend their various priorities.

Flexibility looks different for everyone.

For some, it means an early start and finish, for others it may be compressed hours giving them the ability to spend one day a week on family or personal hobby. It may be a temporary need for flexibility, and it may be permanent. It may be school holidays off, or it may be the ability to take time off to travel.

By definition of the Fair Work Ombudsman: “flexibility in the workplace allows employers and employees to make arrangements about working conditions that suit them“.

So, who can request flexibility in the workplace?

Everyone! There are two ways that your employees might request to make their workplace more flexible:

1. Formal flexible working arrangement – where employees have a ‘workplace right’ to request a flexible working arrangement, and
2. An informal individual flexibility arrangement – where employees and employers can negotiate to change how certain terms in a Modern Award, Industrial Agreement or Employment Contract apply to them.

Some examples of flexibility that your employees may ask for:

• Compressed working weeks
• Part time and Casual working arrangements
• Flexible working hours, including variable start and finish times (temporary or permanent)
• Flexible work times where the hours are worked over an agreed period
• Rostered Days Off
• Alternative working locations
• Specific role or location based allowances for disabilities or impairments
• Job sharing (i.e. a full time role split into two)
• Phased return to work
• Modified/alternate duties
• Working from home, a remote location or Telecommuting
• Phased Retirement (i.e. for those wishing to remain at work but not wanting to work full time)
• Unlimited paid time off
• Purchase of annual leave
• Unpaid study, travel or family leave
• Annualised hours
• Part year employment

And it may be possible that an employee has a request outside of this exhaustive list, depending on their individual needs.

What are the benefits to your company if you offer flexible working options?

The benefits of flexibility are well documented. In a recent report by Zenefits called The State of Flexible Work Arrangements (July 2018), employees with flexible working arrangements were 73% more satisfied at work and over 80% said their work life integration had improved or would be improved because of flexible work arrangements.

And the added bonus for employers – 78% of employees with flexible working arrangements said it boosted their productivity!!

Many employers now are operating on the front foot, providing flexible work options as a strategic initiative to attract the best talent in the market, and then engage and retain them within the company. Are you?

What are you required to do as an employer?

Not all requests for flexibility can be met, and as a business, you need to evaluate each case on an individual basis, taking into consideration things like any relevant ‘workplace rights’ under the Fair Work Act, as well as

• the effect on other team members,
• the potential cost or financial impact to the employer,
• the capacity to change the working arrangement of other employees, or recruit new employees to accommodate the new working arrangements requested by the employee,
• the practicality within the company,
• the impact on productivity and/or efficiency,
• the impact on rostering and the ability or inability to organise work among existing staff, and
• resources available to the employee requesting flexibility.

Employers covered by a Modern Award must first discuss the request with their employee to try to reach an agreement about changes to the employee’s working conditions.

s65 of the Fair Work Act 2009 outlines the different groups of employees with the right to request a change in their working arrangements, specifically the hours, patterns and locations of work. Special consideration must be given to all formal requests for flexible working arrangements if they are from an employee who:

• is 55 years or older
• has a disability
• is a parent, or has responsibility for the care of a child who is school age or younger
• is a carer (within the meaning of the Carer Recognition Act 2010)
• is an employee who is experiencing violence from a family member; or
• provides care or support to a member of their immediate family or household, who requires care or support because they are experiencing violence from the members family.

Let us help you get it right

Make sure you consider all potential advantages and disadvantages of any formal or informal requests for flexible work arrangements before you accept them or deny the application.

Contact our team today at projects@commongoalconsulting.com.au or call Nikki on 0472 545 584, and talk the request through with us for advice. We can help you map the direction you need to go in.

Visit our website to see how we can assist your business today: www.commongoalconsulting.com.au/hr-consulting