Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA)

You may request a reduction in your employment from full-time to part-time or a reduction of the part-time fraction for which you are employed.

Compressed weeks 

Compressed weeks allow you to work less days per fortnight while working the same total number of hours per fortnight. The arrangement is not designed to increase or reduce the total hours worked, so there are no impacts on leave entitlements or superannuation

For example, a staff member working full time (36.75 hours per week) could work the same hours over a 9-day fortnight. The maximum daily hours permissible during a compressed weeks arrangement is 9.5 hours and are to be within the span of hours.

You can request to vary your start and/or finishing times on your normal days of work whilst still working your full hours.

Depending on the nature of your role, you can request to work from home or at an alternative work location to campus that is both safe and productive for a portion of their working week. Other than in exceptional circumstances fully remote work will not ordinarily be considered as an option.

You may apply to purchase leave in one-week blocks in a given year. The leave must be taken within a 12-month period at a time which is mutually convenient for you and the University in return for a pro-rata reduction in salary. If the arrangement is approved, your salary will be averaged over the year (52 weeks) to allow payment during the extra weeks of leave.

Who can access the form? 
All continuing and fixed-term staff. It is not available to casuals.

Will my FWA continue when I commence my new contract or secondment? 
Commencement of a new employment contract or secondment will cease all previously approved FWA's.  A new online request will need to be submitted if the arrangement is to be continued.

Why do I have to select the start date first? 

Selecting a start date enables the system to:

• Determine which options are relevant and show them accordingly.
• Identify the position for which the FWA is being requested and automatically link the request to the role. If you have more than one role within the University, it also prompts you to select the one you want to update.

Why is the form forcing me to change the start date to the first Monday of a pay fortnight?

For Compressed Weeks and Change of Work Pattern, where the number of hours are not changing, it is important that the change in schedule starts from the start of the pay period. Otherwise, it is possible for an over- or under-payment to occur.

For Purchased Leave, the ‘purchasing’ of the leave must start from a complete pay period.

When I try to enter an End Date, the form is giving me an error message saying that the flexible work arrangement cannot extend beyond the end date of current arrangements (e.g., Secondment, Higher Duties or a future dated New Position). I don’t understand this?
A FWA applies for no more than 12 months where you are working in the same contract conditions. If you are at the nominated expiry date, you will need to submit a new request for a period of no more than 12 months.

If your circumstances have changed or will change, such as due to secondment, higher duties, position, or contract changes, you may be eligible to request a new FWA from the commencement date of the new conditions.

How do I enter hours into the schedule?
Staff are expected to enter hours in decimal format. Attached to each eForm is a guide you can refer to in converting minutes to decimals.

I am a Head of School (HoS) or Branch and I have approved a FWA form as a supervisor, but have now received again for the HoS Approval Step. Why do I have to action it again / Should I action it?

The FWA workflow includes following steps: Initiator to Supervisor to HoS (for all requests except for Change of Work Pattern).

If you are a HoS and also the supervisor of the staff member requesting a FWA, you will receive the form twice; once to endorse as a supervisor and once to approve as a HoS – you should action it both times.

Where is my request sitting? What’s the status of my request?

You are able to access requests by selecting “View a Request” option on the website.

You will be able to see if the request has been processed (“Executed”) or is still to be approved / processed (any other status)

I am on a compressed weeks FWA.  If my non-duty day falls on a public holiday, do I get a day off at another time?
No, there is no legal obligation for the University to reimburse a staff member where their ‘non-duty day’ under a compressed weeks arrangement falls on a public holiday.

Public holidays that fall on your scheduled work day will be paid according to the hours you are normally scheduled to work on that day.