Flexible Working Arrangements

Flexible Working Hours

Flexible working hours, or flextime, is an arrangement were the employer provides flexible start and finish times. Usually this type of agreement provides a band of working hours, for example, an employee may be able to start as early as 7am and finish as late as 7pm as long as they complete the agreed number of working hours.

In this case, if an employee was employed on a part-time basis, for 5 hours per day, that employee could choose to start at 7am and finish at 12pm; or if it was more convenient, they could choose to start as late as 1pm and finish at 6pm. In many cases, employee's may be able to change their working hours on a daily basis.

Often, with a flextime arrangement, employees can accumulate hours (usually there is a set limit), and use these accumulated hours to take time off work.

Rostered Days Off (RDO)

Rostered days off is an arrangement were working hours are compressed over a period of time (usually two weeks or one month) so that the accumulated number of additional hours worked result in a full day off work.

Examples of RDO arrangements may include a "nine day fortnight" or a "nineteen day month".

In the example of a nine-day fortnight arrangement, an employee may be employed for 76hrs per fortnight, but these 76 hours are spread over 9 days each fortnight instead of 10. This means that each day is a little longer, so that one entire day can be rostered off each fortnight.

Generally, these days off are "rostered" so that the business can plan for absence and ensure a balanced workforce on each day of the fortnight.

Compressed Work Week

This system works in a very similar way to the rostered day off system, but is usually a working arrangement were business hours are also compressed so that the entire workforce benefits from a day or afternoon off. The most common form of the Compressed Work Week is where all staff work longer days for four days of the week, and the entire workforce finishes at lunch time on a Friday.

Time-in-lieu

Time in lieu is an arrangement where employee's accept time off in lieu of overtime payments. Usually, time in lieu is given at the same rate as overtime payments would be made. For example, if you worked an additional 4 hours that would otherwise be paid in overtime wages at time and a half, you would receive time off in lieu to the same value (4 hours x 1.5 = 6hours off work).

If you worked in a position that had a time-in-lieu arrangement, you may be able to accumulate time so that you can arrange a day off work or hours off work. Usually, time-in-lieu needs to be approved by a supervisor each time you use it.

Telecommuting

Telecommuting is an arrangement were an employee works from home during part of their working week. Usually, a telecommuter would come into the office for two or three days per week to attend meetings, meet with clients and stay in touch with what is going on in the business. To telecommute, you would generally need to have access at home to a computer with Internet access, a telephone line and possibly a fax machine.

Job Sharing Arrangement

A job share arrangement is a form of part-time work where two people share the responsibilities of one full-time position. This arrangement usually requires a good deal of cooperation between the employee's sharing the position and may involve occasional full-time hours to relieve for your job share partner during annual leave or other absences.

Purchased leave / self-funded leave

In a purchased leave arrangement, employees work on a full or part time basis at reduced pay and take additional self-funded paid leave during the year. The income earned for the actual time worked (including accrued paid annual leave) is averaged and paid over the full year. This provides a steady reduced income and additional leave.

For example, an employee may arrange to work for 44 weeks of the year, take 4 weeks annual leave and 4 weeks unpaid leave. The income earned over the 48 paid weeks (actual weeks worked + annual leave) is paid at an averaged rate over 52 weeks. This means the weekly earnings are lower, but the employee receives pay for the entire year. This would be ideal for a working parent who wants to have additional time off for school holidays.

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