Flexible work arrangements
People increasingly want to work in a business that offers them flexibility so they can create a balance between work and their other responsibilities and lifestyle. Older people often want to reduce their hours as they transition towards retirement, and parents may want to spend more time with their family. More people want the flexibility to study part-time to gain qualifications, or to attend cultural and sporting events and commitments. Others may want to work more hours to pay off their mortgage faster.
What you must do
- Consider a Request for flexible working arrangements from an employee if they care for someone and have worked for you for 6 months or more.
- Respond to their request within three months.
- Act in good faith when considering and responding to the request.
- You can refuse if the request conflicts with a collective agreement or if there are recognised business grounds for refusal. See Grounds for declining a request.
What you could do
- Use our templates to approve or decline your employee’s request for work-life balance.
- Many employers extend an offer of flexible working arrangements to all employees.
- Talk to your employees about what work-life balance means to them, so you can jointly work towards some solutions. Helping employees achieve a work-life balance will increase job satisfaction and can improve job retention and absenteeism.
- Offer flexible start and finish times, and allow employees to swap shifts or vary how many hours they work per week. Working from home one day a week or job sharing with another employee are other options to consider.
- If in doubt, try a trial period for flexible working arrangements to gauge the effect on your business and on other employees who are affected by the change.
- Clarify the details of the arrangement and ensure that everything is in writing. Discuss any potential problems and how they will be resolved if they occur.
