As a result of the pandemic, companies have created new work structures to accommodate regulations that were put in place to keep workplaces safe. But as Australian workers move on from COVID-19 restrictions, they’re not willing to walk away from flexible work arrangements that facilitate walking the dog at lunchtime or picking up the kids from school. As some companies urge staff to return to the office full-time, flexible work is becoming non-negotiable for many employees.
1 in 3 Australian workers say they’d resign if they couldn’t work from home. It just goes to show, the way we work has been radically altered, and we now face a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the social contract, rethink the role of work and explore better ways of creating value. It isn’t about everyone working from home or the office, but instead about defining a new, hybrid world. Moving forward, the hybrid-work policy should be developed in consultation with workers. Otherwise, businesses may struggle to retain employees or attract new talent.
Below are some tips for both employers and employees on how to accommodate flexible working arrangements.
Do Employees Want To Go Back To The Office?
With the change in work structures and the way we view working environments, the option to work remotely has become a necessity for employees. 1 in 3 Australians search for jobs that include remote work and 35% would either resign their current job or immediately start looking for a new job if their employer required them to return to the office full-time. Even 1 day a week at home seems to make the difference between feelign overworked and feeling balanced.
Further, there has been a 6.4% increase in searches on Indeed being remote work related since COVID-19. Australian employers are responding to this demand with the majority of advertisements on Seek including a reference to the option for a component of flexible work. For companies that choose to not embrace this flexibility, they may see signs of struggle in attracting and retaining employees.
Does Remote Work Improve Productivity?
Allowing employees to work remotely can increase their productivity, according to The National Bureau of Economic Research in the US. Australians that work remotely can save up to $4,500 on commuting costs annually, pairing this with the rapid rise of cost of living, savings like this will be front of mind for workers.
Being one of the most effective ways to stay productive, employees are able to take breaks throughout their day and avoid overloading on work, leading to higher levels of production. However, you would assume that being in the comfort of your own home employers would see a dip in their remote workers productivity, but in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Remote workers appear to be working longer hours while enjoying a healthier work-life balance and reduced stress, so can be a win-win.
A Harvard Business Review report found that working from home has thrown work-life balance out of gear. Although working from home enables personal priorities such as childcare and chores to be easily managed, employees are finding themselves stretching their work hours and feeling burnt out. Working from the office ensures employees are dedicating focused attention to work-related matters, which expedites projects, increasing productivity. It also encourages employees to avoid carrying work back home.
Culture, community, networking, growth and better connectivity are perks that are excelled from working at the office opposed to at home. Collaboration and personal relationships increase through the many fulfilling elements of working closely with other people. Research showed there was an improved sense of social identity can result, not surprising given your work peeps are the ones who you talk to and see the most day-to-day, so making these relationships strong and valuable is something to consider
Do Employers Have to Provide Flexible Work Arrangements For Employees?
Employers can only refuse a request for a flexible working arrangement (made by an employee who is entitled to make the request) if they have ‘reasonable business grounds.’, says the Fair Work Ombudsman Australia.
Reasonable business grounds for refusing a request could include
- Cost – the requested arrangements would be too costly for the employer
- Capacity – there’s no capacity to change the working arrangements of other employees to accommodate the request
- Practicality – it would be impractical to change the working arrangements of other employees, or take on new employees, to accommodate the request
- Inefficiency or impact – the requested arrangement is likely to result in significant loss of efficiency or productivity. The request may also have a significant negative impact on customer service.
How Employers Can Adopt Flexible Work Arrangements
Coming from a time where this type of working was never really considered, it can be hard to incorporate and adapt from pre-pandemic norms. However, employers and their employees can implement effective flexibility arrangements and the business can manage their operations efficiently by establishing:
- Clear contractual and policy terms
- Clear guidelines
- Clear workload expectations
- Particularised job descriptions
- Defined days and hours that each employee works from home and assigning certain office and remote days.
Risk Management
Although your employees aren’t working from the office, their home is now an extension of the workplace for the purpose of work, health and safety legislation. This means that the employer should conduct a risk assessment to ensure the employee’s home work space is safe and properly set up prior to granting their employee flexible work arrangements. Where the risk assessment identifies a risk, the employer must take all reasonable steps to remove or reduce that risk.
Seek Professional Advice About Flexible Work Arrangements and Make You and Your Employees Happy
Flexible work is an evolving space full of uncertainty, so it’s always best to seek professional advice if you’re not sure about flexible work arrangements in Australia or how to manage requests for flexible working arrangements. Our team of experienced employment lawyers are here to help protect you as an employer and your employees. We’ll help you keep track of the latest changes in employment law and ensure you remain compliant.
