Flexible work arrangements

Flexible work arrangements - Canada. Can I request flexible working arrangements? The employee has to work a certain number of hours over the year but they have some flexibility about when they work.

What is flexible work? There are sometimes ‘core hours’ which the employee regularly works each week ,.

Employees can achieve a better work -life balance, lower levels of absence and lower levels of stress. Iti s especially beneficial for parents, students, people with a second job or people with any other major life commitments. A flexible work arrangement includes: 1. This is because it is often seen by what it isn’t – not the 9-to- not the daily commute to a central workplace – as opposed to by what it is.

Examples of flexible working arrangements include changes to: hours of work (eg. changes to start and finish times) patterns of work (eg. split shifts or job sharing) locations of work (eg. working from home). There are many types of flexible work arrangements , and choosing the right one can make a big difference. Whether you’re a manager or a job seeker, it’s important to know the differences between the various types of flex arrangements.

Different setups might attract different employees or apply better to different job descriptions.

Working full-time hours but over fewer days. Flexitime The employee chooses when to start and end work (within agreed limits) but works certain ‘core hours’, for example 10am to 4pm every day. Employees have the freedom to choose what times they begin work and sign off, provided they put in the agreed number of hours in their contract or required by the employer. These flexible arrangements work well for businesses that have a set amount of work to be done per day or per week but have some flexibility on deadlines during that time.

In terms of management, you’ll need to ensure that there is the right amount of coverage. Instead of planning your day around a work schedule as in generations past, jobs that allow for alternative scheduling let employees meet their obligations in a way that suits their needs. With flexible work schedules, employees stand to experience a good number of benefits. One that many workers point to first is the flexibility to meet family needs, personal obligations, and life responsibilities conveniently.

Due to the impacts coronavirus is having on the community, a number of unions and employer associations are applying to the Fair Work Commission to increase award flexibility. This may affect the entitlements on this page. For a list of determinations and to see if your award is affected go to Temporary changes to workplace laws during coronavirus. Here are some of the most notable flexible work arrangements and the key characteristics of each: Flextime is the most popular flexible work option with both employers and employees.

Knowing which flexible working practice will work best for your business may take time, as there are many different types of flexible working models. Taking a holistic approach to your flexible working practice is best, as you need to ensure it supports both your people and your business. Other types of flexible working include Job sharing, part time, annualised hours and staggered hours.

Template for a flexible working policy from Acas for employers to use.

Free to download and use. Many employees have long called for more and better flexible work arrangements , whether to accommodate carer duties, working parents or work-life balance. Indee if we’re smart about it, the pandemic is an opportunity to embed flexible work practices. But as research shows, just because work is flexible, that doesn’t mean it is good.

A flexible work arrangement (FWA) empowers an employee to choose what time they begin to work , where to work , and when they will stop work. The idea is to help manage work -life balance and benefits of FWA can include reduced employee stress and increased overall job satisfaction. Considering flexible work arrangements at your business.

The benefits of flexible work arrangements. However, you must know that not all of these arrangements have been suited for work responsibilities or individualistic needs. For example, working from home is not suited for people who are teaching in schools or playing direct roles. And then there’s the tried-and-true flexible work arrangement of telecommuting.

While it has less to do with the actual number of work hours or spent online in a given day or workweek, it does (by definition) eliminate commuting time both to and from the office, freeing employees up to invest more time with their families or doing other things that are important to them. Overall, the truth about flexible working arrangements seems to lie in the nuances of individual circumstances, the prevailing organisational culture and the given context. Having informal arrangements in place around flexible working can be a very effective way of introducing flexibility to a team quickly and with the minimum amount of paperwork and administrative effort.

However, some types of flexible working arrangements require extra planning and communication. If you have a flexible working arrangement , were the terms of the arrangement agreed upon prior to accepting your position or after you had been in your role?