TRANSCRIPT
"Flexible work arrangements can mean so many things, probably the most common thing that people think about is remote working or working from home, but it can also be things like flexi-time, compressed schedules, job-sharing, and many more options. Flexible work in my opinion is only limited by the creativity that we are willing to accept what it could look like."
That's Dr Melissa Wheeler, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at R-M-I-T University.
She says the revolution in flexible and hybrid work was already underway before 2020, but the COVID-19 lockdowns have unleashed its potential.
Now, she argues, employers who aren't willing to adapt will face an "exodus" of employees looking for more flexible arrangements.
"People proved that they could do the work remotely, and they could deliver what they were being asked to do, even without being there. And so, I think they grew a bit of an expectation around, if I proved myself and I can do it, then I should have the benefits of paying less to commute, being able to pick up my kids and those kinds of things."
Dr Wheeler says flexibility has levelled the playing field for people with diverse needs across Australia, including carers and people with a disability, those in rural and regional communities, and people with children.
Associate Professor of Management at Swinburne University, John Hopkins, adds that flexible working arrangements have also been beneficial to employers.
"For organisations it may offer them an ability to widen the talent pool and recruit employees from outside the normal catchment and recruiter belt where they would be able to recruit from."
Dr Hopkins says the days of commuting to work five days a week are behind us.
He also notes that full-time remote working is only viable for about 30 per cent of the workforce.
But he says there's a range of adaptations that have transformed work for the other 70 per cent of people who need to be present for large chunks of their job, such as a four-day work week.
"One of the real strengths and advantages of the four-day week is it's a flexible work arrangement which can be adopted by frontline workers. So, it isn't just for those who have flexible work arrangements already - so not (just) for those knowledge workers, those deskbound jobs, but the four-day week can be applied in many other environments as well. So, the likes of Bunnings and Ikea, they're piloting it at the moment."
Michele O'Neil is President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
She says unions have been fighting for greater workplace flexibility well before the pandemic.
Ms O'Neil cites changes to the Fair Work Act, which came into effect in June 2023, as a win for workers seeking flexible arrangements.
"In the past they only had the right to request it, now they've (still) got a right to request flexible work, but the employer has an obligation. So the employer has an obligation to either provide those arrangements or give reasons why it's not reasonable for their business to do flexible work arrangements for that worker. And the worker can take that to the Fair Work Commission if they're denied flexible work arrangements that are reasonable."
Jessica Tinsley is Director of Workplace Relations at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
She's concerned the expanded legislation leads to Fair Work Commission proceedings that are costly and intimidating for employers.
"From our perspective, the key issue is a "one-size-fits all". So, we really need to move away from a "one-size-fits-all". Where employees - and we're seeing this increasingly - employees pushing for a universal right to work from home, and we're seeing these more and more in enterprise agreements. I think we need to be avoiding that. We need to be looking at this in a common-sense way. And looking at flexible work and hybrid way in a more general sense, a more practical way, and having these discussions at the workplace level."
Ms Tinsley also says flexible working arrangements can negatively impact productivity.
"Things like attending face-to-face, for mentorship, for training, for support - those are sorts of things that really contribute to workplace productivity. Even something like social interaction will contribute to workplace productivity. During the pandemic we saw a lot of junior professionals really losing out because they had no choice but to work from home."
But Ms O'Neil says while the legislation offers greater protection it does not discourage people from taking part in their workplace.
"It's not just employers that see the value of connecting with their co-workers and being able to collaborate and see people and socialise with people and bounce ideas off people. That's something workers think about and want to do as well. It's not always a conflict, more, it's an issue about how to negotiate this in a way that's fair."
So, will the expanded protections for workers really lead to a mass exodus if their needs aren't met?
Dr Melissa Wheeler.
“I think we're still going to see privilege play a role in the people who are able to get up and just walk away, versus those who have to stay and make sure they're going to be financially well off."
But Dr John Hopkins is optimistic that a new era has been ushered in - and is only just getting underway.
"I think since the pandemic, companies are much more willing to try these things, and employees are much more comfortable asking for them. So, it's quite an exciting time and I think certainly things like the four-day week, working from home - we're going to hear a lot about that in the year to come."
