Flexible working arrangements, such as changed hours and working from home, may help you find a better work-life balance. Flexibility may also benefit the organisation you work for.

What are flexible working arrangements?

Flexible working arrangements are changes to your standard work arrangement. You agree with your employer or supervisor to these changes.

There are many ways work arrangements can be flexible. This will depend on the person and the job.

For example:

• having regular breaks if you have pain or fatigue
• changing your start and finish times
• taking unpaid leave
• having a say about your work schedule
• sharing a job with a co-worker
• working part time
• being able to work from home.

Benefits of flexibility

Flexible working arrangements can help you have a better work-life balance.

For example, flexibility can let you:

• go to medical appointments
• make a regular time with your carer that suits you both
• manage care for children or others
• manage stress, anxiety or pain
• focus on tasks without distractions, if working from home.

Flexible working arrangements are good for employers too. They help organisations attract and keep good people, reduce stress, and improve staff confidence and productivity.

Working from home

Many employers allow staff to work from home as part of their flexible working arrangements. This is sometimes a ‘hybrid’ arrangement. For example, working from home 2 days a week, and at the workplace for the other days.

Whether you can work from home will depend on the type of work you do. If you have just started a new job, your employer may want you to work full time at the workplace for a period before you start working from home. 

Working from home agreements

If you are asking to work from home, it’s a good idea to make an agreement with your employer so it’s clear who is responsible for what. 

Your agreement could include:

• who will buy or provide any equipment, such as a computer or office furniture
• how often you need to go in to the workplace
• how and when you must ‘check in’ with your manager and co-workers – for example through daily online meetings
• how work health and safety and workers compensation are affected.

The agreement should be in writing.

Safety issues at home

If you are working from home, you need to consider basic safety issues. These include:

• having enough light in your work area
• having good air flow and fresh air
• working in an area that is not too noisy
• keeping equipment safe, well maintained and in good order.

Your employer could be responsible if you have an injury while working from home. They may want to do a work health and safety check of your home working space.

Assistance for home modifications

If you are working from home and need to make changes to do your job, you may be eligible to get help from the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF). The EAF can help people with disability cover the cost of modifications to workspaces, equipment and services.

Agreeing to changes with your employer

If you think flexible work arrangements would help you do your job, discuss it with your supervisor or manager. Think about:

• what changes to your work arrangements will meet your needs
• how the arrangements might affect your co-workers
• how the changes benefit everyone
• how the changes help you get more work done and meet your employer’s needs.

Remember to be open to different options. Your employer will likely have many things to consider when deciding on any changes to your work arrangements. They might not be able to give you everything you ask for.

Support from human resources

If you work for a larger organisation, the Human Resources (HR) area might be able to help you talk to your supervisor. They can give you advice about:

• your rights
• options for changes to your work arrangements
• any company policies.

You can also talk to HR about issues you’re not comfortable talking with your supervisor about.

The Fair Work Ombudsman website also provides information on the rules about how to make a request for flexible working arrangements and how employers respond.