Flexibility at Work
Life gives us a lot to juggle. Flexible work arrangements can help you manage it all.
You can make a flexible work request at any time but it needs to be made in writing. Then your employer has up to one month to make a decision.
Here are some things to consider before you make your request:
- How will you get your work done?
- Will there need to be adjustments made at work to accommodate your flexible work request?
- Will you be impacted financially if you reduce your hours?
- What are the potential benefits to your employer, like certainty about the hours you can commit to working?
- What are the benefits for you, like feeling less stressed about managing childcare arrangements?
- When would you want the flexible work arrangement to start?
- Would a trial period give you and your team a chance to try out something new?
- How would you measure the success of a flexible work trial?
- Get ideas from other people in your team before you make your formal flexible work request
- Talk to your manager about your flexible work request before you make the formal request in writing
RED HOT TIP
When you talk to others in the team about flexible work you might come up with a completely new idea that works better for everyone.
Want more info? We’ve created a Guide to Flexible Work with a downloadable PDF to talk you through the main ideas.
MBIE’s website has some really useful resources if you want to go ahead and make a flexible work request. This checklist is a great place to start. You’ll also find a flexible work request template to guide you.
So there you go. If you thought a career in the trades might be too tricky because life commitments would get in the way of work commitments, now you know you’ve got options.