Flexible Work Arrangements

From 6 June 2023, the scope of situations where an employee can seek flexible work arrangements has been broadened to include:

•  Employees, or a member of their immediate family or household, experiencing family and domestic violence; and

•  Employees who are pregnant.

Employers are also now required to fulfil certain conditions before refusing an employee’s request for a flexible work arrangement. This includes:

•  Discussing the request with the employee;

•  Making a genuine effort to find alternative arrangements to accommodate the employee’s circumstances;

•  Considering the consequences of refusal for the employee; and

•  Providing a written response that includes an explanation of the reasonable business grounds for refusing the request and how these grounds apply to the request, other changes the employer is willing to make that would accommodate the employee’s circumstances or that says there aren’t any changes, and information about referring a dispute to the Fair Work Commission.

Next steps

If you require assistance in managing flexible work arrangement requests please contact Hart & Co today.