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EEO TRUST DIVERSITY POLICY SERIES

FLEXIBLE WORK PRACTICES POLICY

What do we mean by flexible work practices?

Flexible work practices are a departure from either or both traditional working hours (e.g. 8.30 – 5pm, Monday-Friday, with a half hour lunch break) and the traditional place of work (e.g. the office)

What type of flexible work practices can Employers consider making available?

Measures such as:

·  Part-time roles (including for senior positions)

·  Job share (responsibilities of a full-time role(s) are shared by two or more part-time employees so they have the same role and responsibilities)

·  Job split (responsibilities of a full-time role(s) are split between two or more part-time employees so they have separate roles with different responsibilities)

·  Phased return to work (increase work hours in stages, over a period of time until agreed long term hours are reached)

·  Phased retirement (cut back work hours in stages, over a period of time until retirement is reached)

·  Flexi-time / Glide-time (work regular quantity of hours but start earlier or finish later than regular hours)

·  Flexi-breaks (take tea and lunch breaks whenever suits the business and the employee)

·  Extended breaks (take a longer tea or lunch break than usual to accommodate employee breast-feeding or exercising etc)

·  Compressed weeks (work usual quantity of hours over less days e.g. 4 x 10 hour days or 4 x 9 hour days + one half day, instead of 5 x 8 hour days)

·  Annualised hours (work agreed quantity of hours over the year in a non-traditional but agreed pattern, allowing for seasonality)

·  Term-time working (an agreed work pattern and salary sacrifice that allows leave over and above traditional annual leave, so employees can spend all or part of the school holidays with their children)

·  Tele-working (working-from-home or another remote location)

The Business Case

When flexible work practices are well-managed, have organisational support, and are properly resourced both the employer and employee should come out winners. Benefits to the organisation include:


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·  Enhanced employee brand and offering, consequently attracting a wider talent pool

·  Improved retention, thereby keeping organisational knowledge plus saving on recruitment & training costs

·  Higher levels of engagement leading to increased commitment and productivity

·  Improved wellness, focus and attendance

·  Better availability for clients (early, late, weekends)

·  Savings on property costs including space & parking

·  Less risk from disruptive events such as traffic jams or natural disasters


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New Zealand Law

  1. Any employee may request flexible work practices at any time and any number of times during their employment (this includes while on parental leave)
  2. An employer needs to respond to a request in writing within one month, and if they refuse must give a reason
  3. An employer may refuse a request for flexible work practices on the following grounds only:
  4. If it conflicts with the collective agreement in place
  5. If there are recognised business reasons
  6. Inability to reorganise work among existing staff
  7. Inability to recruit additional staff
  8. Detrimental impact on quality or performance
  9. Insufficient work during the period the employee proposes to work
  10. Planned structural changes
  11. Burden of additional costs
  12. Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demands
  13. Both parties need to act in good faith

Flexible work practices and work/life balance policy can reference and build on relevant legislation including:

·  Employment Relations Act 2000

·  Employment Relations Amendment Act 2014

Some Facts

  In the May 2014 and April 2015 NZ Diversity Surveys (run by the EEO Trust and NZ Work Research Institute), Flexibility was the 2nd most important diversity issue faced by organisations of all sizes, and 2/3 of them had a flexible work practices policy and / or programme in place

  Over 80% of women in the workforce are mothers, and the median age of birth is 30 years (Statistics NZ March 2014)

Online Resources

www.legislation.co.nz (search for relevant Act)

www.dol.govt.nz/er/bestpractice/worklife (look at Flexible Work-related tabs)

www.eeotrust.org.nz (case studies from Diversity Awards NZ, WorkLife Balance category entrants & winners)

Checklist for Flexible Work Practices

·  Business case has been made and accepted by senior management

·  Flexible work practices policy and procedure in place

·  Managers aware of organisation’s policy & procedures, senior management support, and legal obligations

·  Managers received training that covers the rationale for flexible work practices, how to assess a request and ideas to assist with implementing it successfully

·  Managers at all levels are encouraged to model flexible work practices themselves

·  Managers KPIs are not compromised (particularly personnel budget and headcount measures)

·  Culture where quality and quantity of output is recognised rather than just time spent or physical presence

·  Appropriate hardware & software available for teleworking including helpdesk support & security measures

·  There is someone in the organisation tasked with offering guidance to managers and employees to assess and implement flexible work practices, ensuring that the policy and procedure is applied consistently across the organisation, and eliminating barriers to achieve flexible work practices

·  Consider developing a template for employees and managers to assess the feasibility of flexible work arrangements and covering things such as: ability to backfill; managing workload and work flows, meetings, and special events; effect on customers, co-workers, and manager; suitability for teleworking including more autonomy, less social interaction, time management, potential distractions, appropriate space, IT requirements, health and safety; associated costs and savings; impact on quality and quantity of output; any planned structural changes

·  Consider developing a template for employees and managers to plan details for successful implementation of flexible work arrangements including regular hours, availability to attend events or be in contact outside hours, communication with manager/customers/suppliers/co-workers, handover time, KPIs, IT checklist

·  Consider a trial period of 1-3 months including criteria for review

·  Expectations of both employer and employee are clear and there is a written agreement in place


Sample Flexible Work Practices Policy & Procedure

Definitions
Flexible work practices are a departure from either or both traditional working hours and the traditional place of work. Flexible work practices can include but are not limited to the following types:

(List from document above)

Policy Objective
As part of our wider support for achieving work/life balance that will benefit both our employees and our organisation, [Organisation Name] encourages the implementation of flexible work practices where practicable, and in accordance with legislation.

Principles
Meeting business goals is the top priority.
We acknowledge the business benefits of work/life balance and the part that flexible work practices play in achieving this.
We will make reasonable accommodations to ensure flexible work practices are possible.
Flexible work arrangements will not be appropriate for all positions within the company, and may differ between employees.
We will place focus on quality and quantity of output not just physical presence or time spent.
Flexi-workers will have equal opportunities including notice of organisational events and training, applying for roles, performance and remuneration reviews etc
Employees cannot care for a dependant and work productively at the same time.
Break-times must be maintained for a healthy and safe workplace – for every 4 hour period one 10 minute paid break, for periods of more than 6 hours an additional half hour unpaid break.
Review and changes to flexible arrangements may be necessary.
We will support our managers to successfully implement flexible work practices and ensure their KPIs are appropriately aligned.
Collaboration between the manager and the employee is important, ensuring that expectations are clear and met.
Roles and Responsibilities
[Manager / Business Unit] will be responsible for developing, communicating and reviewing the policy
[Manager / Business Unit] will be responsible for providing guidance to manager and employees, ensuring the policy is applied consistently across the organisation, and where practicable eliminating barriers to achieve flexible work practices
[Managers] will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation, support for and monitoring of the policy
[Employees] will be responsible for meeting the requirements of the policy


Procedures

  1. Employees will make an initial request for flexible work in writing to their manager with a copy to the HR Manager
  2. The manager and HR Manager will meet with the employee to discuss their request, considering all the relevant types of flexible work practices, and using the assessment template
  3. The manager and HR Manager will assess the request taking into account relevant legislation and [Organisation Name]’s policy. Under the legislation, [Organisation Name] may refuse a request for flexible work practices on the following grounds only:
  4. If it conflicts with the collective agreement in place
  5. If there are specific recognised business reasons
  6. Inability to reorganise work among existing staff
  7. Inability to recruit additional staff
  8. Detrimental impact on quality or performance
  9. Insufficient work during the period the employee proposes to work
  10. Planned structural changes
  11. Burden of additional costs
  12. Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demands
  13. [Organisation Name] will respond in writing to the employee within one month
  14. The manager and employee will use the planning template covering details to ensure the successful implementation of the flexible work arrangement
  15. The HR Manager will draw up an agreement to be signed by both parties, stipulating the flexible working arrangement, any trial period and criteria for review
  16. The manager and employee will hold any review as scheduled and involve the HR Manager if there are any issues to address or any changes to the agreeement