{"id":1080,"date":"2019-01-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sage-new-clone.local\/en-au\/blog\/?p=1080"},"modified":"2026-02-10T22:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T11:00:09","slug":"new-flexible-workplace-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/new-flexible-workplace-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"New flexible workplace laws \u2013 What you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tManaging people<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNew flexible workplace laws \u2013 What you need to know\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tLuke Thomas<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Employers must take crucial new steps when an employee requests a change to their working arrangements.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Offering flexible work arrangements has become one of the key ways Australian businesses can attract, retain, and get the most out of their employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research by Hays reveals almost three quarters (73 percent) of Australian workers desire a job offering flexible work practices, which is also the most common benefit employers offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the growing prevalence of flexible work<\/a> arrangements, the Fair Work Commission recently introduced new rules for when employees request flexible work arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the new rules?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Introduced into modern awards on 1 December 2018, the new rules stipulate that when an eligible employee makes a request for a flexible work arrangement, an employer must first discuss the request with the employee before rendering a decision to grant or deny the request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Requests can only be refused on reasonable business grounds, with employers required to provide a written response to the employee if they refuse the request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more details of an employer\u2019s requirements under the new rules, please visit the Fair Work website<\/a> for an easy to follow guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you effectively manage flexible work arrangements?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adapting to the growing trend of flexible work arrangements and ensuring compliance<\/a> with new workplace legislation is a key challenge for many medium to large-sized businesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way many businesses are overcoming these challenges is with Human Capital Management (HCM)<\/a> software, which provides a more efficient and effective way to manage people and get the best out of them. Gartner predicts that by 2020, 30 percent of global midmarket and large enterprises will have invested in a cloud-deployed<\/a> HCM suite for administrative HR and talent management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HCM software like Sage Business Cloud People<\/a> can help you save time and automate HR and People processes across the entire employee lifecycle \u2013 from recruitment<\/a> and on-boarding, to ensuring you can effectively manage and retain your workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can Sage Business Cloud People help manage flexible work practices?<\/p>\n\n\n\n