How
Negotiating flexibility
Implementing flexible work practices is not difficult, it just takes a little planning, thinking and experimentation.
As an employer, before you accept or propose a flexible work arrangement, take a little time to plan your approach. This means understanding your options, coming to the negotiating table with an open mind, and adhering to some flexibility principles.
This section helps you through this process.
1. Understand your options
Understanding your options means you need to think about the range of different types of flexible work practices available as well as those which are already in place in your organisation.
You will also want to look at your organisation’s Flexible Work Practices Policy – or if you don’t have one you can think about a model Policy . The Policy will provide guidance on your organisation’s commitment to flexible work practices, employer and employee obligations and getting started.
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2. Have an open mind
When negotiating with an employee about flexible work practices keep an open mind about whether it is in the company’s best business and legal interests to accept an employee’s request.
This means you should have a good understanding of the business opportunities relevant to implementing flexible work practices. Don’t come to the negotiating table with a fixed view that “it will never work” or “she’ll be right” – you should investigate all realistic options before forming that conclusion.
If you are unsure, think about introducing a trial period. Remember if you reject the application you may be required to explain that decision.
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3. Consider flexibility principles
In assessing an employee’s request to work flexibly, and to make the flexible work arrangement a success, bear in mind the following principles:
- Be reasonable. For the flexible work arrangement to be successful both the employer and the employee must be reasonable. This is about having a “give and take” attitude - both the employee and the employer need to give and take to make the flexible work arrangement successful. For example, staff working part-time may be required to make themselves available for work if an emergency arises on a non-work day, and the organisation may need to reorganise staffing to meet an unexpected need of a part-time employee to take time off on a regula Don’t favour one employee over another, or one group of employees over another – all of whom have requested to work flexibly. Try to be consistent and objective in your approach.
- Be flexible. Each job is slightly different and both the employer and the employee may need to customise a solution to fit the situation. One size does not fit all.
- Be open. If the request is accepted, communicate clearly what you expect of the person working flexibly, and of their team. If the request is rejected, explain clearly the reason for that decision.
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4. Implementing
Assuming you have gone through the planning and thinking phase, it’s time for a little experimentation. There are 3 phases to implementing a specific flexible work practice: preparation, implementation and evaluation.
Preparation
The following checklist of ideas provides a helpful guide to ensure that individual, workgroup and business needs are met.
- Read the Flexible Work Practices Policy, Award, Enterprise Agreement and any other documents for issues that may affect flexible work practices.
- Read the business case prepared by the employee and identify key deliverables in the employee’s current job specifications.
- Negotiate with the employee about key implementation issues, such as communication, attending staff meetings, working different hours in emergencies, and access to training.
- Consult with the team to understand their views on perceived barriers and strategies to address them.
- Decide on specific performance measures, including individual and store objectives, so that you and the employee can evaluate if the arrangement is working – and if not what the barriers might be. Performance objectives need to be based on clearly defined outcomes (eg quality of customer service, sales targets, flexibility in meeting store needs).
- Finalise the flexible work arrangement once it is accepted by preparing and signing a written individual flexible work practices agreement with the employee.
- Document the reasons for accepting or rejecting a request to work flexibly.
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Implementation
- Implement the accepted flexible work practice for a trial period of six months.
- Consult with staff on a regular basis to resolve issues as they arise.
- Negotiate and resolve any conflicts as they arise on the basis of mutual benefit and in terms of the flexibility principles.
- Review the arrangement to see how it is working, initially once a week, then once a month for three-months, then after six months. The review should be based on measures taken before and after the arrangement, in terms of employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, turnover and sales targets.
Evaluation
- Set up a confidential feedback process for staff members to evaluate the arrangements and their supervisor’s ability to manage flexibility.
- Assess specific flexibility training needs for all staff.
- Survey stakeholders (including customers) to determine their perception of the impact flexible work practices are having.
- Check that individual performance measures and store objectives have been achieved.
- Review your process and outcomes in terms of the guiding principles you established at the outset.
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