Everyone has at least heard of working from home by now, thanks to the last few years, and flexible working is a buzzword that just seems to be getting more popular every quarter - but despite being used fairly interchangeably, they aren't actually the same thing.
Sure, a part of flexible working is the ability to work from home, but working from home isn’t the only thing that can be flexible about your working arrangement.
Well, to start with, it’s biased towards those who can work from home. Apartment living, the cost of workable home offices, school runs built into commutes, having work that is dependent on a fixed location - all facts of life for a lot of people for whom working from home is less than desirable.
It also makes it harder for those who are looking for a flexible working arrangement that isn’t solely focussed on Work From Home Fridays. We’re not saying that working from home is by definition bad - and it’s always great to have management who support their teams’ flexibility needs - but there needs to be growth around the understanding of what flexible work means.
A common flexible working arrangement is allowing staff to start or finish at times that better suit them. Some people may find it a lot easier to start at seven-thirty and finish at three-thirty or start at ten to finish around six. A common arrangement is starting early or finishing late in order to take a longer unpaid meal break.
The trick is finding the balance between employee convenience and genuine productivity - so long as there’s work to be done in those non-standard hours then everyone should be happy!
Similar but slightly different from Flexible Start and Finish Times, in that instead of a part time contract, meaning that you work a standard seven and a half hours a day two days a week, three hours a day is possible.
Arrangements such as this open up a lot of opportunities for those who have limited energy or time. For example, those with children who need picking up from school or who have a disability that makes working full days tiring or even painful.
Compressed Hours could look like an extra hour or two at work four days a week so you can gain a full day once a week.
That’s the beauty of truly flexible arrangements - it’s not one size fits all.
A bit more than just two part time positions - job sharing allows two equally skilled employees to work together but apart. Through coordination and efficiency, two employees can share one role meaning that they both have the benefit of part time employment while maintaining their non-work time. This helps businesses stay resilient - if your accounts manager is taken ill, the process doesn’t grind to a halt - and maintain good working relationships with multiple skilled workers.
A concept by many names, this generally refers to the ability to ‘earn’ time off by coming in 30 minutes early or staying an hour later than you normally would. Sometimes a manager will sign off on you doing this intentionally to help pad out your annual leave, sometimes it’s more of a reaction to an increased need, and a lot of the time it can just be coming in half an hour early so you can leave at half past four to make your dentist appointment on time!
There are plenty of good reasons for your management to take flexible working arrangements seriously (and not just because they’re required to legally in some circumstances).
There is evidence to support claims that flexible work arrangements heighten job satisfaction, lower stress, reduce the number of missed days, better productivity, and better retention of highly skilled employees.
Not to mention that most managers would agree that a happier workforce is a desirable outcome regardless of other benefits.
Flexibility and Fair WorkWe’re not about giving legal advice - we’re not lawyers after all - but it’s worth knowing that while anyone can request some flexibility there are certain situations where employees have a legal entitlement to flexibility under the Fair Work Act. This includes both permanent and employees with twelve months under their belt who might need flexibility because:
You can read more about the Fair Work Act here: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/best-practice-guides/flexible-working-arrangements#legal-requirements |
Flexible working is a fantastic opportunity for those who need it with options to suit almost any employee. In fact, most of us will take advantage of flexible working arrangements and not even think of it that way - like starting half an hour early so you can pop off early to catch an appointment.
That doesn’t mean that you have to though - if working from nine to five works for you then that’s great! Even if the standard working day is your ideal schedule, having a workplace that isn’t afraid of some flexibility is pretty universally a good thing for those unexpected twists life throws at us.
So, with this expanded definition of flexible work - do you think you’ll seek out more flexibility?
13 Mar 2025