The fair work commission has come to a recent decision regarding Family Friendly Working Arrangements which will force employers to justify denial of flexible work decisions.

How does this affect you?

In an article by SmartCompany it describes “Australian employers will soon have to provide reasoning for denying any worker requests for flexible work arrangements…”.

There has been a lot of push back from businesses regarding this decision. This is especially evident in small businesses where there is not a designated HR team. The SmartCompany article explains, “If an employer does refuse a flexible work request, details must be provided in writing for the refusal, including the business grounds and any suggestions for alternative arrangements that could be made.” If a business has a small team of employees already and all those employees request flexible work arrangements, a lot of strain could be placed on that company.

On the other side of the argument, in this review “The ACTU contended that the existing regulation regarding family friendly working arrangements is inadequate and is failing to assist employees to balance their work and family responsibilities.” In a time where often both parents are required to work to keep up with increasing school fees and the growing cost of living, family friendly work arrangements are in high demand and required. The question is, where do we find the balance between employer and employee needs?

A date has not been given as to when these provisions will be in place.