— Working Flexibly at RMITA Toolkit of Resources for Staff

— Contents

04 Introduction

05 Supporting Flexibility at RMIT

06 Roles and Responsibilities

08 Guiding Principles

10 Flexible Work Types at RMIT

11 Staff Member Check List

12 How to Make your Job Flexible

14 Informal Flexible Work – Tips for Managing IT Successfully

15 Working Remotely – Tips For Managing IT Successfully

16 Frequently Asked Questions

17 Best Practice Flexibility

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RMIT recognises the increasing importance of flexible working arrangements in maintaining a diverse and adaptable workforce and will genuinely consider staff requests for flexible working arrangements related to balancing work, life and family needs.

This toolkit has been designed as a one-stop-shop for staff to find what they need to work in a flexible way.

— Introduction

RMIT recognises the importance of an environment that celebrates and welcomes diversity. We acknowledge that such environments result in higher success and engagement levels for both staff and students.

“I prefer to have a different work arrangement than 9 to 5. For me, I work best later in the morning, so I have arranged to start closer to 10 a.m. and then I leave at 6 p.m.”

Brooke

04

At RMIT there is a range of options to help support flexible work. These include:

Technology solutions

§ Working off campus - Staff IT Services,Network and remote access

§ Wireless on campus

§ Access to laptops and tablets

§ Instant Messaging via Google

§ Video Conferencing / Tele Conferencing

Property Services

§ Design support to change your officeinto a flexible work environment

§ Working with existing spaces and new space design projects

§ Endorsing principles of functional basedspace utilisation

§ Support how individuals and teamswork and what they require from theirenvironment

§ Seeking different ways in which toutilise space.

Policies and Procedures

§ ‘Our Approach to Flexible Working’

§ Working from Home Instruction

§ Flexible Working Policy

§ Flexible Working Procedure

§ 48/52 week employment cycleprocedure

§ Staffing Authority

§ RMIT’s Equal Opportunity Policy

§ Space utilisation process (under review)

§ FAQs (also contained in this document)

§ Staffing Authority

§ FAQs (also contained in this document)

Human Resources

§ Checks for those working from homeand at work ensuring a safe ergonomicenvironment

§ Job design, ways of working,developing teams and re-design ofwork to create inbuilt flexible options forstaff

§ Coaching and support for managersand staff seeking support aroundutilising effectively flexible workingarrangements.

DevelopME Workshops

§ Managing a Flexible Work Environment

§ The Working Parent Resilience Program

§ Creating a Team Charter for Flexibility

§ Managing the transition back fromparental leave

§ Managing the transition to parentalleave

§ Dads at RMIT Network

§ A variety of wellness programs andsupports for both managers and staff.

— Supporting Flexibility at RMIT

“My son attends RMIT childcare. This allows me to be close by in case I need to check in on him throughout the day. I’m grateful that I have the option to bring him to work with me.”

James

As seen in the Flexibility Policy and Guideline RMIT supports the opportunity for flexible work environments where the job role can accommodate it.

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If you have any feedback related to this pack of materials please contact diversity.inclusion@rmit.edu.au.

—Roles and Responsibilities

Individual staff member

“My life circumstances require that I rethink my

work arrangements.”

Staff member needs flexible working arrangements in

order to effectively meet work and life responsibilties.

Individual staff member

“I’d like to work flexibly.”

Staff member should review RMIT’s policies and resources

to consider what will work best and contact HR Assist

to clarify any questions.

Individual staff member

“I’m ready to discuss flexible work with my

manager.”

Staff member should arrange a meeting to discuss their flexible work request with

their manager.

Both staff member and manager

“There are a few changes that may need to occur to

support that.”

Staff member and manager should talk through the options,

mindful of business requirements.

Individual staff member

“I’m ready to submit my formal request.”

Once agreement with their manager has occurred, staff

member completes the necessary documentation.

Manager/Delegate

“I’m ready to agree to the flexible work proposal.”

Manager and delegate review formal or informal

documentation required depending on the circumstances.

Both staff member and manager

“We’re ready to implement and are

focusing on outcomes.”

Manager and staff member discuss the appropriate

implementation timeline and arrangements.

Both staff member and manager

“We’re ready to discuss with the team.”

If necessary have a conversation with the rest of the team to ensure there is appropriate

support in place.

Both staff member and manager

“We’re ready to review how the flexible work is going.”

Manager and staff member undertake a periodic review to

ensure the flexible arrangements are working effectively for all

parties

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— Guiding Principles

Principle 01

Managers should demonstrate trust, accountability and empowerment when entering into discussions about flexible work arrangements.

Principle 02

Managers must ensure that flexible working arrangements are:

§ Fair and equitable for all staff

§ Aligned to the needs of the work group at RMIT

§ Consistent with the University’s Workplace Agreements

Principle 03

Managers considering requests for flexible working arrangements must consider:

§ Operational requirements and impact on service

§ The nature of the staff member’s work and parental or carer responsibilities/accessibility requirements due to injury, illness or disability.

§ Impact on the work group and the workload of other staff members

§ Any additional costs

§ The flow-on impact of the flexible work arrangement

Principle 04

Requests for flexible working arrangements will only be denied on reasonable business grounds. Speak to Manager Assist at 9925 0600 prior to denying any flexible arrangement. Denial of flexible arrangements are recorded on staff members file.

Principle 05

Requests for flexible working arrangements must be approved by the appropriate delegated authority. Staff seeking flexibility working must be advised in writing of the outcome of their request for flexible working arrangements within 21 days of the request being lodged.

Principle 06

Where possible flexible work arrangements should be transferable but may need to be reviewed to take into consideration the changing nature of circumstances:

§ Business requirements

§ Context of a new team

§ Individual needs or work adjustment required that may need to be adapted to a new environment/team, manager relationship.

Principle 07

Staff members who apply for a new position/promotion or to work under a new manager should consider ways to convey needs as part of the recruitment process.

Principle 08

Staff members are not limited to one flexible working arrangement. For example, a staff member can work part-time and request a flexible start and finish time.

Principle 09

Consistent with the relevant Workplace Agreement, professional staff members can request to work alternative hours of work that fall outside the span of ordinary hours as long as the weekly hours do not exceed 36 hours per week.

Principle 10

Formal flexible working arrangements are defined as needing some type of ‘system intervention’ or adjustment to the payroll system at RMIT. Impacts salary ie part-time, purchased leave.

Principle 11

All formal flexible working arrangements will be agreed in writing with a start and end date, recorded in the HR system, and reviewed periodically, as a minimum annually.

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Principle 12

All formal flexible working arrangements will include a trial period. Following the trial period, arrangements will be reviewed and may be terminated, revised or continued. Flexible working arrangements will end automatically at the predetermined date or can be terminated by the staff member or the University with reasonable notice.

Principle 13

Informal arrangements may be situational unplanned/adhoc or regular. It is advised that any arrangement that is regular is requested and supported in writing with a start and end date, recorded in the HR system, and reviewed periodically, as a minimum annually.

Principle 14

Appropriate team protocols need to be in place in relation to communicating absences, leave and change of time which is agreed to by the manager and staff member. Managers require a staff member to be contactable, especially when working on and off campus and regular work time communication needs to be maintained depending on the circumstances.

Principle 15

Management teams are also encouraged to model work life balance principles and work management protocols and should set clear guidelines around contacting staff after work hours and role model expectations around response to out of hours communications.

Principle 16

Flexibility in working arrangements are to support accessibility to work and manage better work and life balance in order to increase staff experience.

Principle 17

Managers should role model flexibility and ensure they also take opportunities to lead and create a culture of trust and respect of staff who will have multiple responsibilities and commitments outside work at RMIT. Those diverse interests often benefit RMIT in many ways.

Principle 18

Performance Relative to Opportunity (‘PRtO’) is important to RMIT to enable access of all staff to career opportunities who may be working part-time, undergone career breaks or other flexible arrangements. This also supports career advancement in areas of under-representation.

Principle 19

PRtO needs to be applied in selection decision-making, performance review conversations, career development planning and work planning.

Some guiding principles of PRtO:

§ All high quality work is valued equally - emphasise the merit of outcomes achieved, and recognise productivity attained, in the time a staff member has to devote to their work.

§ Explicitly acknowledge that personal circumstances have a material effect on the time a staff member has for work-related activity.

§ Accept that personal circumstances are not static; their influence on time available for work-related activity varies across an individual’s working life.

§ PRtO maximises the application of each staff member’s unique mix of knowledge, skills and attributes to work group outcomes.

§ PRtO acknowledges that personal circumstances sometimes mean a staff member is unable to undertake particular activities within a work unit.

§ Work allocation informed by PRtO prioritises the best deployment of a staff member’s competencies to enable career, knowledge and skill development.

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Communication is important in managing flexible arrangements and accommodating planning of workload.

“Before I switched to part-time, I had a 48/52 work arrangement. My supervisor and I communicated about what time worked best for me to take those four weeks of leave, and I felt this arrangement was very beneficial to my work and life balance before I became a mum.”

Danielle

— Flexible Work Types at RMIT

Flexible working arrangements may include:

§ Flexible patterns of work (formal or informal)

– Flexible start and finish times

– Part-time staff are employed on a fraction of the full time hours of duty

– Job sharing - two or more staff members share the same full time position and are employed on a fractional basis traditionally. Think also laterally how staff can job share, ie 3 staff over 2 FTE equivalents or 2 staff at .90 equivalent. The actual days and hours of work for each staff member are negotiated by agreement of the manager.

– Purchased leave for example 46-48/52 week employment cycle when an extra 2-4-6 weeks purchased by the staff member. Salary is adjusted over the 12 month period of the arrangement cannot be changed during the cycle.

– Compressed working week working additional hours some days in order to reduce hours to be worked on other days.

– Parental leave including the return to work bonus which is centrally supported to assist return to work subsidy of part-time work.

§ Flexible work location

– Flexible campus/team location with particular focus to support cross University projects/teamwork and ways of working.

– Work from home scheduled regularly/adhoc or approved occasionally

– Working in virtual settings or using connective technologies.

– Working globally with a variety of staff with a ‘team’ not being in the same location but working across many.

§ Flexible ways of working

– Flexibility is about access to work and careers and to enable reasonable adjustment to accommodate and support staff to meet the inherent requirements of the job and be enabled to productively perform and be successful in what they do.

– Work adjustment can be as a results of injury, illness or disability or family/carer responsibilities. Flexible working supports accessibility. Flexible working can involve a change of communication style by manager, job re-design, team communication/client awareness if applicable.

– Work adjustment can require many different options to support staff access to be productive contributors to RMIT. See Work Adjustment Process (under development).

– Seek ways to also, ‘Team Flex’, where for example teams charter/principles are developed to enable flexible working/ while accommodating individual preferences during peak times and non-peak times (mainly impacting service areas that require continuity).

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Work through your thinking prior to applying for a change to your working arrangements. Being well prepared BEFORE discussing your preferences with your manager will help both you and your manager come to mutual agreement.

— Staff Member Check List1

Are you clear on the arrangement you are seeking and the period of time you would like it to last?

If you have workmates or friends who have arranged flexible working hours, have you asked them about their experiences?

When would you like the new working arrangement to start and to end?

What will need to change at work if the request is approved, eg changes to the way the team works together, changes to the physical set up of the workplace etc.

What changes will you need to make personally if the request is approved?

What is the likely impact of the proposed arrangements on others (e.g. colleagues, manager, clients)?

What effect will changing your working arrangement have on your job?

Can you show how your plans will not have a negative impact on the business and that your plans may in fact improve business outcomes?

Are you clear on any potential problems your plans may present? Be prepared to share these with your manager and work together to resolve them.

What support do you need in order to implement flexible arrangements?

What is the likely financial impact of the proposed arrangements (e.g. on self, on business)?

What are you willing to do to ensure success of flexible arrangements?

What are your other options if your request is declined?

Are you ready to discuss your request with your manager?

§ Ask for a meeting time that is convenient.

§ Be realistic and clear about what you are requesting of your employer.

§ Be prepared – bring any notes you’d like to talk to and be ready to document what you’ve agreed at the meeting.

§ If you are unsure about your proposal, seek out a trusted colleague to discuss the issues beforehand.

§ Be professional and calm and make it clear you are committed to making the arrangement work for all parties.

1 Source: “Making Flexible Work a Success: A Guide for Public Sector Managers and Employees”

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— How to Make Your Job Flexible2

1 What are your job characteristics?

Try talking with your manager to let them know you are using this tool to find ways your job could be more flexible. Talk with them to get their initial view.

1.1 Job Title:

1.2 Job Purpose:

1.3 Key Job/Work Deliverables: What are you required to deliver/do/ensure happens in your job?

1.4 Key Performance Indicators: How do you know when you are doing your job well?

1.5 Supervision: How many staff do you supervise? Where do they work in relation to you?

1.6 Team Expectations: What are the expectations about working as a team?

1.7 Time: What are your current hours and days of work?

1.8 Place: Where do you do your work? Include different locations/areas

1.9 Career Development: What is needed for you to be considered for promotion?

2 Source: adapted from DCA @2016

Some questions you may like to consider prior to meeting with your Manager or Team Leader:

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2 What are your:

2.1 Main tasks?

2.2 Responsibilities?

2.3 Connections?

3 What are the flexible parts of your job?

4 How can you design your job for flexibility?

What needs to change? What will it look like?

5 What are the opportunities and implications?

6 Discuss and finalise your new flexible job design

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Trust

It’s important to have a trusting relationship between you and your manager, in order for flexibility of any sort to succeed. This is particularly important with informal flexibility:

Clearly communicate expectations

Establish parameters

Check in regularly to ensure it’s working for both of you and the team

Accountability

Establishing clear performance expectations is critical to the success of flexible working. It’s also really important for you to understand your manager’s role in supporting the flexible work and what you’re both prepared to do to ensure success. Work with your manager to agree:

The nature of the flexible working arrangement?

What needs to happen if this flexible arrangement changes?

What you are prepared to do to support the arrangement?

How will you update your manager on work outcomes and challenges?

What behaviours do you both need to demonstrate to ensure that the flexible work is successful?

If you, your manager, or the team feels that it’s is not providing successful delivery of KPIs how will we discuss these issues?

A trial period

Document in email the agreement and expectations

Empowerment

Consider asking: What level of productivity and satisfaction will it provide you to work in this way?

Think about rating how the arrangement will support your overall productivity on a scale of 1-10

Think about rating how the arrangement will support your overall job satisfaction on a scale of 1-10

— Informal Flexible WorkTips for Managing it Successfully

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Trust

To enable a successful remote working relationship between your team members, stakeholders and management it is vital that there is trust between all parties. As a guiding principle at RMIT we trust each other to work towards our shared outcomes.

Accountability

Both the manager and the staff member working remotely need to have a clear understanding of the staff member’s accountabilities during their remote working time. You can use the following checklist / questions to support your remote working request.

What components of your role can be performed remotely?

What deliverables would you specifically aim to achieve whilst working remotely?

Who do you need to be in contact with when working remotely?

What technology or support from RMIT do you require to complete the deliverables whilst working remotely?

How will your success be measured in completing these deliverables?

What behaviours do both manager and staff member need to demonstrate to ensure remote working is successful?

If manager, staff member or the team feel that remote working is not providing successful delivery of KPIs how will these issues be discussed?

Think about a trial period for remote working, maybe 3 months, then organise to have a remote working discussion and work through it with your manager or team to see how you are all feeling about the arrangement.

Empowerment

Think about what level of productivity and satisfaction will it provide you to work remotely?

Rate how the arrangement of remote working will support your overall productivity on a scale of 1-10

Rate how the arrangement of remote working will support your overall job satisfaction on a scale of 1-10

How can you improve the number on the scales if it’s not meeting you or your manager’s expectations?

— Working RemotelyTips for Managing it Successfully

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1. Who can work flexibly at RMIT?

At RMIT it is possible for all staff to request flexibility at work in some way. Not all types of flexibility will be suitable for all roles, or all situations, but we encourage our managers to give genuine consideration to all requests to work in a flexible way.

2. Does my manager have to say ‘yes’ to all requests?

No, your manager does not have to say yes to every request. However, RMIT are committed to giving genuine consideration to all requests and that requests are only refused when there is reasonable business grounds. The manager declining the request must be able to demonstrate that they reasonably considered accommodating the flexible working arrangement request and took into account all the relevant circumstances. The refusal of the request and the consideration of alternatives must be documented in writing and a copy given to the staff member and Human Resources.

3. When is it appropriate for a staff member to ask for a flexible arrangement?

We do not require a reason for the person to be working flexibly. It may be for caring reasons, for their own health and wellbeing, to enable them to pursue an interest outside of work, or a variety of other reasons. We believe that everyone should be able to ask to work flexibly, whatever their personal circumstances, if it meets the needs of the business.

4. What are considered ‘reasonable’ flexible working arrangement requests?

Managers must seriously consider a request for flexible arrangements and the request can only be refused on reasonable business grounds. The granting of flexible work arrangements is considered on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that it is not sufficient for a manager to refuse a request for flexible working because it has not been done before. Longer-term arrangements already in place should be reviewed periodically to ensure the needs of the business unit and the individuals are still being met.

For instance, a ‘reasonable request’ for a flexible working arrangement could be if a staff member unexpectedly needed to alter their start and finish times. The staff member and manager would discuss and negotiate an outcome with the final approval from the delegated authority.

5. What are reasonable business grounds for refusing a request?

Factors that may be relevant for refusing a request could include:

§ the effect on the workplace and the staff member, including the financial impact of doing so and the impact on efficiency, productivity and customer service

§ the inability to organise work among existing staff

§ the inability to recruit a replacement staff member

§ the practicality or otherwise of the arrangements that may need to be put in place to accommodate the staff member’s request

Managers and staff members are encouraged to discuss their working arrangements and, where possible, reach an agreement that balances the needs of the staff member, the manager and the work unit.

6. How long will the arrangement be for?

The duration of the flexible work arrangement depends on the individual’s situation. The arrangements can vary in length from ad-hoc situations to short-term arrangements to deal with an issue, through to longer-term arrangements for up to 12 months.

7. Who will approve the flexible working arrangement?

The arrangement will be negotiated with the individual staff member and their manager and approved by the authorised delegated authority. Each case should be assessed individually against

§ operational requirements and impact on service

§ the nature of the staff member’s work and parental or carer responsibilities

§ impact on the work group and the workload of other staff members

§ any additional costs

§ the flow-on affect of the flexible work arrangement

— Frequently Asked Questions

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Depending on the circumstances it may be reasonable to accept staff members request for a changed work arrangement and refuse another staff member’s request. You may also choose to take a team based approach to building your flexible team (Link to course)

8. Will a change to work arrangement be recorded?

All formal flexible work arrangements will be recorded using the change to work arrangement form and sent to Human Resources to record the updated details in HR system. It is the staff member’s responsibility to re-apply prior to the end date of their change to work arrangement.

9. What happens if the new flexible arrangement is not working?

The flexible working arrangement must be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. If prior to the end date, the flexible working arrangement is not meeting the needs of either party, feedback needs to be given and the manager must give notice to the staff member that their flexible working agreement will end. A reasonable notice period must be given. For example a minimum of 4 weeks notice will be given by either party for a 12 month flexible working arrangement.

A copy of the documentation will be given to the staff member and Human Resources in order to update the records on SAP HR.

10. What is a manager’s legal responsibility?

RMIT has a legal responsibility under the The Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995 to provide an environment that promotes equal opportunity and prevents unlawful discrimination. Under the Act, a staff member may request a flexible working arrangement due to their parental or carer responsibilities. Employers must make a reasonable consideration of alterations to working arrangements in order to enable equal participation in the workforce.

11. Can I speak to someone to confidentially discuss supporting my team to work flexibly?

Information and confidential advice may be obtained from Human Resources.

Culture tech: flexible working arrangements becoming a necessity

http://www.afr.com/news/special-reports/culture-tech/culture-tech-flexible-working-arrangements-becoming-a-necessity-20160607-gpdd4t

Flexible work arrangements: how Boost Juice is reaping the rewards

https://insightsresources.seek.com.au/flexible-work-arrangements-boost- juice-reaping-rewards

Increase Workplace Flexibility and Boost Performance

https://hbr.org/2014/03/increase-workplace-flexibility-and-boost-performance

The benefits of making flexibility work

https://www.workplaceleadership.com.au/blog/benefits-making-flexibility- work-a8XgLxER/

Helping men get work-life balance can help everyone

https://www.workplaceleadership.com.au/blog/helping-men-get-work-life-balance-can-help-everyone-OywPjbEv/

WGEA Employee Flexibility Toolkit

https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Flexibility_employee_toolkit.pdf

— Best Practice Flexibility

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