This presentation provides an overview of flexible working arrangements. It is designed to help employers understand their rights and obligations. In this presentation, employers can learn about: - Who can request a flexible work arrangement? - What is the process for requesting a flexible work arrangement? - Can an employer refuse a flexible work request? - What are the benefits and challenges of flexible work? -------- Employsure is Australia’s leading workplace relations specialist – providing support with employment relations, HR services, and workplace health & safety. Employsure works alongside employers to set solid foundations for business success. With highly skilled professionals assisting over 24,000 business owners Australia-wide, Employsure provides small to medium-sized businesses with the tools, advice, and assistance to be workplace confident. Instilling Workplace Confidence Employsure’s main objective as workplace relations specialists is to give business owners peace of mind when they need it most. This is achieved by providing employers advice on the Fair Work Act, National Employment Standards (NES), and relevant Modern Awards. Employsure clients receive tailored documentation such as employment contracts, policies, and procedures – as well as immediate updates of relevant legislative changes. May the situation present itself, Employsure also provides its clients with representation and legal protection. Employsure also reviews workplace health and safety processes and documents to identify specific gaps and solutions. Based on this, best practice tools are provided to lay the foundations for ensuring a fair and safe workplace. In essence, Employsure believes that all business owners, no matter their size, deserve access to comprehensive, quality and honest advice – and support that is scalable to the needs of their business. -------- CONNECT WITH US Email: comms@employsure.com.au Website: https://employsure.com.au/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Employsure/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/employsure.com.au/ LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/employsure Twitter: https://twitter.com/Employsure Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/employsure/

1. employsure.com.au
Flexible
Work.

2. Who can request a flexible
work arrangement?
What is the process for requesting
a flexible work arrangement?
Can an employer refuse a
flexible work request?
What are the benefits and
challenges of flexible work?
Key topics.
employsure.com.au

3. Who can
request
flex work?
Employees with 12 months of service with
the same employer can submit a request.
These employees will also need to be one of
the below:
• The parent, or primary carer, of a child
school aged or younger
• Defined under the Carer Recognition Act
2010 as a carer
• Disabled
• 55 years of age or older
• Experiencing family or domestic violence
• Providing care or support to a member of
their household or immediate family
requiring care because they are
experiencing family violence
Hear from our experts
The Fair Work Commission
announced important
changes to Australia’s flexible
work laws that are now in
effect. Watch the update.
employsure.com.au

4. What is the process for requesting a
flexible work arrangement?
Employees must:
• Make their request in writing
• Clearly outline the changes that are
to happen, and the reasons for the
request
Employers must:
• Provide a written response within 21
days that states whether they grant
or refuse the request.
• Have reasonable business grounds if
they decide to decline the request
employsure.com.au

5. Refusing
flexible
work.
What are reasonable grounds to refuse a flexible
work request?
Examples of reasonable business grounds, on which
a request can be refused, can include:
• The request is too costly
• Incapacity to change other employees’ working
arrangements to accommodate the proposed
new arrangement
• Impractical to hire new employees to cover
the adjustment
• A significant loss to productivity as a result
of the change
• A significantly negative impact on customer service
employsure.com.au

6. Why
encourage
flexible work?
A flexible workplace has many advantages for both
employees and employers.
Reward & Recognition
Recognition and reward is the acknowledgment of an
employee’s efforts and behaviour in the workplace that has
contributed to business objectives and success, and is a
powerful tool when it comes to retaining employees.
• When delivered well, flexible work encourages higher
levels of performance, collaboration and creativity and
can build a productive, hardworking culture through
increasing employee engagement and self-worth.
• Flexible work can help to move employees from being
motivated by just a pay check, to actively contributing to
your business goals and most of all, retains your best
staff.
employsure.com.au

7. Why
encourage
flexible work?
38%
20%
of small to medium business owners
and employers in Australia named
flexible work as the best way to
retain staff.
of employers found pay increases
and bonuses were the best way to
retain staff.
This shows that a good work-
life balance is more important
to employees than a higher
salary, that may come at a
cost to family or social life.
Findings from research conducted by Employsurein 2015.
Flexible work – a
business benefit
With the data suggesting the
workplaces of the future are
flexible, take a look at some of
the business benefits of
flexible work. Read more.
employsure.com.au

8. How to retain your best staff.
Flexible working arrangements
Pay increases and bonus
Training
Social events
Promotions
Improving health and safety
38%
20%
16%
2%
2%
1%
Findings from research conducted by Employsurein 2015.
Learn from our experts
One year later – how did flexible
work change the culture at
Employsure? What’s changed?
Click here to find out.
employsure.com.au

9. Challenges of
flexible work.
• Maintaining company culture without a ‘hub’ where
staff come together every day
• Difficulty of arranging meetings when employees
are working different hours
• Technical issues that can prevent an employee from
being able to work remotely
• Increased cost in providing equipment for
employees to use
• Safety of the home work environment
employsure.com.au

10. How to try out flexible work.
Every business is different, but with many options for offering flexible work, it’s possible to find an
option that can meet both your employee and business needs.
Arrangement Description
Part-time Working less than the normal hours, less hours in a day or less hours in a week.
Flexi-time/ Flex scheduling Set working hours that must be worked by employees, however, start and finish times can be
adjusted.
Annualised hours Agreed number of guaranteed hours the employee is contracted to work through a 12 month
period, to be arranged with flexibility.
Compressed hours Employees work agreed hours over fewer days.
Staggered hours Different starting, break, and finishing times for employees in the same workplace.
Job sharing Sharing a job designed for one person with someone else.
Remote working Telecommuting or working from home.
employsure.com.au

11. Navigating workplace
relations can be confusing.
Employsure works directly with employers to ensure they
stay on top of rapidly changing legislation and provide a fair
and safe workplace for their staff.
Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help your
business grow.
To receive the most up-to-date news and small business
information sign up for our Free Monthly Newsletter.
employsure.com.au
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LinkedIn.
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12. Phone 1300 651 415 or visit employsure.com.au