In other words, the company provides the scaffolding flexibility options, equipment, and supportive performance-management systems and individual employees and teams decide how to organize their work within it. I am willing to discuss possible alternatives to the arrangements I have outlined and I am also willing to work with you to make sure that this arrangement works effectively for both the business and me. a request for flexible working arrangements. But nows as good a time as ever to be brave, step up and ask your employer to consider working differently. I am making this request to help care for my child. Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act - new changes impacting flexible working If work flexibility is viewed as an exceptional accommodation, it can also affect customers and clients. Depending on your company policy and local laws, you may. The Fair Work Ombudsman is committed to providing you with advice that you can rely on. Instead they should facilitate conversations with workers to unpack all the ways in which people interpret flexibility from where one works to the construction of ones work schedule. In interviews at an oil company headquartered in the EU, we found that employees in one of its Asian offices preferred a 3 PM to 12 AM workday. Every job deserves some flexibility. All information in member profiles, job posts, applications, and messages is created by users of our site and not generated or verified by Care.com. The first step to handle a request for flexible working arrangements is to understand the nature, scope, and reason for the request. "Flexible Working: Building a Lean and Responsive Organization." Long Range Planning. Heres a pitch-perfect sample letter to use as a template to submit your flexible working request to your employer (and a completed example below for more ideas). This is for three key reasons: First, businesses believe that the 24/7 remote-work form of flexibility can be leveraged to support productivity. As social distancing restrictions are slowly lifting in many parts of the world, many who have been working from home are feeling anxious about. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Leaders must remove both types of disincentives. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies. Some examples are the Australian governments tips for working out of the office, Salesforces guidelines prior to a leave of absence, and Tettras onboarding tips for remote workers. This reframing helped her get a yes!. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. Use clear metrics to evaluate employees on the, What are fair criteria for how the team sets. I think the impact on the business and my colleagues can be accommodated by [include steps you feel can be taken to accommodate your flexible working pattern]. Heres how it could work is far better than saying, Working from home would help me with child care.. Companies talent pools may suffer. Source: Catalyst 1998: U.S. Department of Labor, 2005. The .gov means its official. Because of the way that the units are staffed and scheduled, there doesnt seem to be a whole lot of flexibility. One way is to develop a team charter, as the financial services firm Northern Trust did for units migrating to a flexible work mode. Contact our Circle In Customer Success Team, In Australia, the Fair Work Ombudsman has a range of great resources available, specifically around flexible working. This variation reflects the fact that the word flexibility is vague; its implementation can differ from organization to organization, department to department, and even within teams. Member States have specifically requested the Secretary-General to report on efforts to enhance the understanding and implementation of the principles of work-life balance and a flexible workforce across the Secretariat. (GA resolutions 65/247 and 67/255), "I started using Flexible Work Arrangements during the opening week of the General Assembly. They also use flexibility more often, take on more school and childcare logistical management during the workday, and are more likely to be the trailing spouse when couples coordinate dual careers, thus trading geographical location for remote work. What To Say To Convince Your Boss About Flexible Working - Forbes This generally only happens if the parties to the dispute have agreed in an employment contract, enterprise agreement or other written agreement for that to occur. Secure Jobs, Better Pay: changes to unpaid parental leave and flexible working arrangements. Requests for flexible working arrangements - Fair Work Ombudsman How to make a successful flexible working request (plus tips) Flexible working rules are different in Northern Ireland. The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any award, agreement or contract. 13 14 50. Flexible Working Arrangements: What employers should include in a Reasonable business grounds for refusing a request for flexible working arrangements include but are not limited to: The NES do not require the employer to choose between granting an employees request in full or refusing the request. The right to request flexible working arrangements under the Work-life When making your proposal, be sure to emphasize why this new arrangement makes good business sense. In reality, expanding flexible work arrangements entails more than sharing online tool kits, surveying workers preferences, purchasing self-scheduling software, or hiring consultants to become more phygital (physical plus digital). We also see structural disincentives in health care, where nurses are increasingly unable to use paid vacation and sick time earned, and we have encountered leave incentive programs in which employees can actually make more money by not taking time off. Here is a range of typical responses: I accommodate employee needs for time to go to the gym during lunch or take a class by allowing a special arrangement with respect to the work schedule. As a result, employees suffered burnout. For example, location and schedule flexibility sometimes work well in combination. .manual-search ul.usa-list li {max-width:100%;} Employers must give employees a written response to the request within 21 days, stating whether they grant or refuse the request. Such localized flexibility practices can help maintain equity among employees in different parts of the world so that team members work at mutually convenient times. The application process is set out in a new Section 60Q, which states that: I dont want that to be the reason we cant produce. Gregs employer gives him a written response, setting out details of the reasons for the refusal of the initial request, as well as a statement of the revised agreed arrangements. Has the company leaned more toward accommodation, boundarylessness, or a combination? The next step is to assess the feasibility of the request, taking into account the operational, financial, and legal implications for your company and the employee's role. The plan should show how your work will be managed and accomplished and who will provide coverage when youre not in the office. Being flexible yourself may allow your employer to feel more confident in granting your request. There is no requirement for an employer to agree to a request for flexible working arrangements. This is known as making a statutory application. Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor. McDonalds recently added paid time off and an emergency childcare program to attract mostly hourly workers. The right to request flexible working applies to all employees, not just parents and carers. I would like this working arrangement to start from my return, which is scheduled for 1 January 2022. In any case, you should acknowledge the request promptly and ask the employee to provide relevant details, such as the type of flexibility they are seeking (e.g., flexible hours, remote work, compressed workweek, etc. One pharmaceutical company offered employees workweeks of four 10-hour days with job security in return for a no-overtime-payment agreement. October 1994. Skyrme, David J. Yet boundaryless work can hurt employers in the long run, even if they dont realize it. What does true flexibility look like? When negotiating for more flexibility in your schedule, its important to build a case for yourself, said Georgene Huang, CEO and co-founder of Fairygodboss, a career community for women to share their workplace experiences. There was no precedent for other part-time workers within the company that she could point to. Flexible Working Arrangements for a modern and productive workforce. It cannot be viewed as a scarce or privileged resource. Questions that leaders, team members, and other stakeholders might discuss include: Although clear policies and consistent implementation are important, overly restrictive policies are not the answer. Section 12Z.6: Request for Reconsideration by Employee from the Denial of Request for Flexible or Predictable Working Arrangement. Typically companies initiate this to enhance productivity and enable their businesses to operate efficiently around the clock while saving money. For example, if a company is practicing flexibility but its clients still expect 24/7 responses, the companys policy simply wont work. If you would like to tell us more about the information youve found today you can complete our feedback form. Please click here to try again. His employer considers the request, but is unable to agree, as Greg would miss an important nationwide teleconference each morning. How are working parents managing the school break juggle? . Such policies are also likely to make the shecession even worse and increase the gender pay gap, because women are 50% more likely than men to apply for remote work. The right to request flexible working legislation requires that employees must make their request in writing, setting out: . ", Copyright 2015 United Nations. It's worth checking your employment contract. It also facilitated communication across time zones and increased employee productivity and engagement. For professionally translated information, select your language below. Many organizational cultures disincentivize the use of time-off policies for nonwork needs as well. The first step to handle a request for flexible working arrangements is to understand the nature, scope, and reason for the request. As a result, most companies approach the task superficially. Some or all work hours are completed from a virtual location (e.g., home or a different department or off-campus location). For TTY: 13 36 77. Many working mothers dont have family in the area to help with caring for their children. #block-googletagmanagerfooter .field { padding-bottom:0 !important; } /*-->*/. How a Flexible Workforce Can Help With Recruitment | Monster.com This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that dont fit into any of the previous sections. Employers also want their firms to have a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talented . Rezvani advised that you do your homework before making the request by doing your research and assembling important data, including the following: Performance metrics for you and your team, The percentage of other employees with current flexible arrangements (or other precedents), Third-party data on increased productivity resulting from flexible arrangements, Competitor data regarding flexible arrangements offered. Those benefits are far less prevalent when individuals use flexibility for family or personal reasons. I would appreciate your response to this request and am happy to discuss this matter at a time that is convenient. Making a flexible working request - Acas CONTRACT This will enable scheduling of client calls from 9.30am as opposed to 9.45am, given the, Rob Sturrock Im a dad that knows the juggle struggle is real. By clicking "Join now," you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You should identify any issues or challenges that may emerge and make adjustments or modifications as needed. The former supervisors responded positively because they no longer had to manage the overtime needs of the organization, could work just four days a week, and felt more integrated and supported on their teams. Research shows that if leaders believe that employees are telecommuting to increase productivity, such as by working long hours to meet job demands, then career benefits are likely to ensue. We created this article with the help of AI. You have accepted additional cookies. How to Handle Flexible Work Requests: A Guide for HR - LinkedIn In what ways can any negative impact be mitigated? Leaders learned how to manage performance by relying more on outcome metrics than on face time. If you were to randomly ask leaders or employees at your company to describe flexibility, they should be able to give a clear answer and their answers should be consistent. In this article they outline the downsides of work-life accommodation and boundaryless working and discuss the tenets that organizations should follow as they develop their own flexibility programs and policies. True flexibility is an ongoing process requiring that management be open to experimentation and new ideas. Our fear is that companies may end up offering inflexible flexibility, whereby employees have little choice about schedules and which days they may work remotely. How do you negotiate a flexible work schedule for an executive job? #block-googletagmanagerheader .field { padding-bottom:0 !important; } It helped to ask at a time when some of my projects were naturally concluding, rather than gearing up. The Fair Work Act currently has provisions that allow an employee to request a change to their working arrangements in certain circumstances, such as requesting a change in hours or location of work due to parenting/caring responsibilities, being over 55 years of age, or being a person with disability. If you are seeking a long-term, formal arrangement, take the time to honestly think through what you would like to propose and the potential impact this will have on your manager, team, and customers.. Whereas accommodation largely offers flexibility for the individual, boundaryless working offers flexibility for the company. p.usa-alert__text {margin-bottom:0!important;} Examples of handling requests in a reasonable manner include: Read the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) code of practice on flexible working requests. Work hours are satisfied at an approved location other than the normally scheduled workplace. How can flexible working hours help attract and retain talent in a competitive market? Applying for flexible working - Citizens Advice The purpose of the present circular is to inform staff members of the procedures applicable to the submission and processing of their requests for use of flexible working arrangements in accordance with the provisions of Secretary-Generals bulletin ST/SGB/2019/3. In Victoria, for example, provisions of the Equal Opportunity Act 1995 prohibit an unreasonable refusal to accommodate an employees responsibilities as a parent or carer. Thank you for your feedback. Expectations about where and when one should work may shift without warning, as work seeps into off-hours and employees struggle to live predictable nonwork lives. According to the National Council on Disability, "The movement for flexibility in the workplace brings people with disabilities to the discussion in which the workplace needs of all employees are taken into account." Flexible Working Arrangements (FWA) have become part of the modern workplace. This will not only alleviate pressure on my coworkers, but will also ensure that our clients are serviced in a timely manner. Ask for the Fair Work Infoline 13 13 94, Save results from our Pay, Shift, Leave and Notice and Redundancy Calculators. Policies that enable employees to take vacation when desired or sick leave when needed even when that time off is unlimited on paper are often accompanied by disincentives for using them. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. By framing your request as a natural progression of your current job rather than a dramatic change in their operations, you have a better chance of hearing your boss say yes.. Its no wonder that managers struggle with how to let employees work when and where they do so best. How do they define flexibility? Companies ignore the needs of essential and hourly workers, providing flexibility only to knowledge workers on technology-driven teams. Top leaders can also recognize and reward supervisors who encourage their teams to get the work done without burning out. In asking for what you want, always be prepared to negotiate your proposal. Rather, employers and employees are encouraged to discuss their working arrangements and, where possible, reach an agreement that balances both their needs. Workers may swap or give away shifts as long as overtime doesnt increase and health and safety rules are not violated. As an example, heres a brief checklist that draws from the employee assistance program at LifeWorks (formerly Morneau Shepell) and can serve as a starting point for any companys flexible work arrangements: Manager checklists like this one are becoming widespread. This increase in work-nonwork multitasking while teleworking has become visible during the Covid-19 crisis, culminating in a global shecession. Even for dual-career couples, traditional gender roles persisted at home, aggravated by pandemic disruptions. You should weigh the pros and cons of the request and evaluate whether it is reasonable and practical to accommodate it. These changes may impact the information in this resource. For instance, in 2019 the bonuses of senior female employees at the Swiss bank UBS were not restored to previous levels when the women returned from maternity leave. We are researchers who study how organizations of all types from professional services and IT firms to hospitals, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities manage flexibility. The fourth is flexibility at its worst. What else would you like to add?
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