Tag: flexible work

With the Australian government now planning the way out of COVID-19 restrictions, there has been some talk of businesses reopening and this means the return to work at some stage for employees. While we have seen some businesses reopen now that JobKeeper payments have commenced, many still remain closed. Which means that for many employers it’s an opportune time to start thinking about preparing the workplace and preparing for situations that might arise in those first few weeks.

For some employers, the return of employees to work will be a smooth transition. For others there may be situations that arise which have never been dealt with before – as let’s face it, COVID-19 is new to everyone!

As HR Consultants dealing with established SME workplaces, we are starting to get a lot of questions about a post-COVID-19 world. Questions such as how do I ensure my workplace is safe? What happens if my stood down employee doesn’t want to come back to work now that they are receiving JobKeeper? What if my employee asks to work from the home long term? Many of our clients express initial anxiety about such scenarios, but the reassuring thing is that there really is an easy solution for each question.  Sometimes you might just need someone experienced in these situations to speak to and guide you through a logical process.

Let’s address these three common questions about returning to work following COVID-19.

1. How can I ensure my workplace is safe for employees to return to work to, following COVID-19 restrictions?

To meet their obligations, employers should take all reasonable steps to ensure a safe workplace. Simply placing some sanitiser out is not enough. Employers should be deliberate in taking steps to ensure risk is minimised. Some examples of what employers should be doing are:

• Ensuring any public health directions and suggestions from official sources such as www.health.gov.au or your state health authority are strictly followed.
• Putting in place control measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 such as making soaps and hand sanitizers readily available, regularly disinfecting surfaces, and promoting good hygiene practices for employees, contractors and customers.
• Implementing spatial barriers such as moving work stations to adhere to physical distancing rules, systems for ensuring physical contact is reduced, and where appropriate installing screen shields to protect in high customer contact roles.
• Introducing technology to the workplace which promotes distanced social and work communication, and which reduces the need for as many face to face meetings. E.g. Zoom, Workplace by Facebook, Slack etc.
• Talking to staff about employee obligations to adhere to workplace health and safety rules, and monitoring and encouraging the rules throughout this pandemic period.

2. What happens where my stood down employee doesn’t want to come back to work now that they are receiving JobKeeper?

 The first thing to ascertain in this situation is the reason/reasons your employee doesn’t want to return to work following a stand down. Is it simply because they are enjoying their newfound freedom or is there a deeper issue that needs to be investigated such as a genuine safety concern about returning to work?

If there is no genuine reason for not wanting to return to work following the stand down, the employer is able to direct the employee to return to work where the direction is lawful and reasonable, and it doesn’t expose the employee to risk. Where the employee refuses following the direction, the employee may be able to consider addressing the issue in accordance with usual disciplinary processes.

Where an employee has provided genuine reasons relating to their health and/or safety and has refused to attend work, it is more complex. Generally, where the employer has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the workplace is safe, the employee should not refuse to return to work. However, we strongly recommend speaking to an employment relations specialist to work through the specific situation with you, as it will depend on the circumstances. There are a number of protections for employees under various legislation, particularly in relation to health and safety. Therefore, to avoid breaching your obligations it’s better to seek advice prior to acting.

3. What happens if my employee wants to work from the home long term?

COVID-19 has changed the way many of us work. It has also changed many of our attitudes to working from home – for both employees and employers!

Our HR Consultants have heard many stories of employees loving the flexibility of working from home. In contrast, there are also many employees who cannot wait to get back to the structure and social connection that physically attending a work site offers.

The majority of employers we have spoken to have embraced working from home arrangements, with a strong desire to keep their employees safe and their businesses as operational as possible. There have even been some employers who are considering implementing permanent work from home requirements for staff as a potential cost-saving strategy for the future. I.e. smaller premises required.

Due to COVID-19 arrangements, it is likely that employers will soon see a rise in requests to work from home, whether it be full time or for a few days per week. Whatever the case, we recommend that employers get on the front foot about flexible working arrangements so that there is a clear and consistent message and process being followed. The best way to do this is via a Flexible Work Policy, which outlines how flexible work requests are handled in your workplace. Where inconsistent and unlawful decisions are made, discrimination-related claims from employees become more likely.

In regard to your flexible work policy, keep in mind that it should align with Fair Work laws, so it is recommended that your policy is drafted by an employment law expert so that you can be assured your policy meets these obligations.

Once your Flexible Work Policy is in place and communicated, leaders will be in a better position to confidently handle requests. Employers shouldn’t be afraid that because an employee worked from home during the pandemic that they will have absolute rights to work from home in the future. This is simply untrue. However, employers will need to work through requests and consider their policy and any flexible work laws that may apply. We also recommend arrangements are always placed in writing.

Keep in mind that the best outcomes are often those where the employee and the employer decide to meet in the middle. Flexible work can look like many things – reduced hours, condensed hours, earlier starts with earlier finishes or working from home 1-2 days per week to name a few. It is well documented that flexible work improves work satisfaction, which in turn improves workplace productivity. Therefore, now employers having firsthand knowledge that flexible work can work, it might be the right time to relax antiquated attitudes about the 9am-5pm work week and implement some flexibility for employees.

*This article is not intended to be advice. We recommend employers seek specific advice for their situation from an employment relations expert.

Industryus HR is a specialist human resources agency, providing employment relations advice and support to established small and medium-sized organisations. If your organisation needs assistance with advice or drafting a Flexible Work Policy, head online to arrange a free 30 minute Introductory Call.

Or call us on 07 5655 4047. 

The topic of flexible work is on everyone’s lips at the moment – especially your employee’s lips.

Recent commentary on employee engagement is strongly highlighting that the most desired benefit for employees is the option of flexibility in their jobs. In a recent study by Seek, work-life balance was the most important factor considered by more than a third of the almost 3000 Australian workers surveyed, ahead of job security and salary, when considering a new position.

The author of The Innovation Formula, Dr Imber, states that “one of the most powerful benefits for employees is time”. With everyone leading such busy lifestyles these days, it’s not surprising that this is the case. Who doesn’t need more time for themselves, whether it be to exercise, spend more quality time with friends and family or even to fit the grocery shopping in.

There are some organisations who have nailed it – or who are at least on their way to nailing it. Let’s take Suncorp for example. This company has been developing a ‘work anywhere’ culture over the last few years and has significantly increased its capacity to have employees working from home. Organisations such as Suncorp understand that implementing flexible work practises will improve their ability to hire the best talent and improve company performance due to having a more engaged workforce. Certainly within conversation circles I have had exposure to, working for Suncorp has become much more attractive for employees who seek flexibility.

Recently voted best place to work in Australia, PwC, is another notable mention. It has implemented flexible working in all areas across its professional services group. According to Business Insider, employees get the opportunity to design their role, deciding whether to work remotely or within the office.

So we know that a workplace with flexibility attracts better candidates; we know that employees who have access to flexible work practises are more productive; we know that engagement rises when flexibility is an option which in turn reduces turnover and absenteeism and improves the bottom line; so why then are so many employers still failing to offer genuine flexible work options as a benefit?

Could it be that employers are worried about losing control of their work forces? Or is it that employers don’t know how to implement such schemes? Are employers too busy? Or is it that they lack innovation and are worried what the unknown will bring? Or perhaps it is the perceived cost or operational impact employers are worried about?

My intention in writing this post was not to attempt to answer any of those questions, but rather to provide a helping hand to SMEs who are curious about flexible work options as a workplace benefit, and who are open to taking a leap of faith to become more desirable employers.

Below are six common flexible work arrangements that employers who are new to the world of flexible work options could consider.

1. Job share

Job sharing is a great option for where there are two employees who wish to work part time and there is one position available for both employees to share. For example, if there was one full time role (38 hours), two employees would mutually agree to a set number of days each week. This arrangement could be divided any way that works for all parties involved. However, a common scenario is where one employee works two days per week every week, and the other works three days per week every week (or the employees alternate between two and three days per week).

2. Reduced work hours

Sometimes employees may wish to have a few hours spare each week to spend on other interests such as completing study, joining a sporting organisation or helping out at their children’s school. By allowing an employee to reduce their working hours by a few hours each week, the employee is able to pursue the things that make them happy without impacting the business in a major way. Over the years I have observed that often the same work output is achieved by the employee where there is a reduced work hours arrangement. Perhaps one explanation for this result is that allowing employees the benefit of flexibility improves happiness and engagement at work, which translates to better productivity (all for reduced salary and wages too!).

3. Condensed work week

A condensed work week occurs when an employee’s regular hours are spread over a shorter period than usual. For example, for an employee who works 38 hours over five days, under a condensed work week the employee would work the same 38 hours over four days, resulting in longer shifts each day. This option is popular with employees as they receive an additional day off per week as a result. However, the employer should ensure adequate breaks are taken to avoid fatigue.

4. Nine day fortnight

Popular in government departments, the nine day fortnight sees the employee working a slightly longer day for nine days of the fortnight, which allows them to take the tenth day off as a rostered day off (RDO). While most employees prefer to tack the RDO on to a weekend to make a long weekend, the employer can negotiate a day that suits if a Monday or Friday is not practical for business.

5. Remote working

Remote working is often described as ‘working from home’, but with today’s technology remote working doesn’t need to be limited to one work space. Increased access to laptops and other devices, wireless internet, teleconferencing, remote system access capability etc, has meant that work can literally be done from anywhere. The option to work remotely is a much sought after benefit, and if your company is willing and able to offer it, it will be a step ahead of many other employers in the desirability stakes. One thing to highlight is that employers can choose how they offer remote working options and can still remain in control of performance outcomes by measuring outputs rather than focusing on minutes in the office. Some employers offer employees the ability to work remotely for half a day each week, some for one or two days per week, and others for the entire week. It’s entirely up to the employer, but rest assured even offering something small will be highly valued by employees.

6. Altered work times

Navigating one’s way through peak hour traffic really is one of the most painful and unproductive ways to commence the work day. To assist employees to avoid peak traffic times, many employers promote altered hours. For example, where the work day starts at 9.30am and runs until 6:00pm, rather than from 8:30am to 5:00pm, or alternatively an earlier than usual start and finish. Altered hours can also assist working parents to be able to drop/pick up their kids from school, or have enough time to exercise. Again, employers can offer altered hours a few times per week or for the whole week depending on operational needs. Another option is to allow employee A to start later on Monday and Wednesday and employee B to start later on Tues and Thursday if coverage is an issue.

On a final note, if any business owner or leader just read each of the six flexible arrangements above and noticed themselves thinking “we can’t do that one”, or “that one won’t work here” etc, I challenge you to change your thinking to “how can we do this” and “how can we make it happen”. Some flexible work practises are achievable in the vast majority of workplaces – the key success factor is a strong desire to change, improve and make it happen.

Prior to implementing any of the above flexible work options, it is highly recommended that employers introduce a Flexible Work Policy to support these activities. Additionally, requests for flexible work arrangements are protected as one of the 10 National Employment Standards (NES) therefore there are specific rules that should be followed in relation to employees making specific requests.

If your business would like help with introducing flexibility into the workplace or if you need guidance on the NES, Industryus HR can assist. Our experienced HR consultants can work with you/your managers to develop a plan that is not only compliant with Fair Work legislation but that is also practical and realistic for your business.

Contact us on 07 5655 4047 or click here for a Free Introductory Call about our HR services. We come to you.

Human Resources Gold Coast, Brisbane, Tweed, Logan, South East Queensland and Northern NSW.