Parents who work from home could face a major upheaval for flexible working arrangements in proposed changes to penalty rates and working hours.
Busy mums and dads should be able to catch up on working hours after their children have gone to bed under a submission to the Fair Work Commission by the Australian Industry Group (IAG) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).
But they warn that bosses could be forced to pay overtime for the late night work if the plan is passed into law.
It is just one of a number of “outdated” barriers that employer groups say should be scrapped to improve conditions for home working.
They said parents should be allowed to work later in the day after household chores are completed, or start work earlier in the morning, before the school rush.
The AI group said this would allow parents to spend quality time with children during normal working hours and then switch on later in the evening.
It argued that barriers such as fatigue and working “unsocial hours” were not as big of a problem for Australians choosing to work from home.
Proposed changes to penalty rates and working hours for Australians who work from home could see a major shake-up of flexible working arrangements (pictured, Sydney city workers)
Aussies with young children who work from home could be allowed to catch up work hours in the evening and spend time with their children during the day (stock)
“The proposal recognizes that an employee becomes more personally responsible for determining when they work, when they are at home to produce a given output, rather than in the more traditional notion of office hours or office hours,” the submission said.
“Given that the proposal is limited to ‘domestic work’, the primary negative aspects of ‘early morning’ or ‘late night’ unsocial work do not arise.”
However, ACCI pointed out that these arrangements could complicate collaboration between colleagues or affect productivity levels.
Companies would likely be required to pay employees overtime rates if they chose to make up their evening hours.
Both groups also argued that Australians working casually or part-time from home should be allowed to refuse to work a minimum shift.
The AI group said additional allowances for work uniforms could also be scrapped for employees who work from home and do not wear it.
Head of National Workplace Relations Policy, Brent Ferguson, said there was a “crying need” for workplace agreements to benefit busy parents.
He said the awards were needed to reflect the ‘dramatic changes’ to the Australian workforce as a result of the increasing popularity of working from home.
“Too often restrictive provisions in rewards currently prevent employers from providing employees with the kind of flexibility they want,” Mr Ferguson said.
However, union bosses have accused the submissions of ‘failing to read the room’ – claiming the recommendations are a direct attack on staff’s basic working conditions such as the eight-hour day.
The Australian Industry Group and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) have told a Fair Work Commission this week that busy parents should be allowed to make up work hours after their children have gone to bed (pictured, office workers in Sydney)
The National Secretary for Communities and the Public Sector, Melissa Donnelly, slammed the proposed changes as “an outrageous attempt to crack down on staff conditions under the guise of modernisation”.
‘In the Australian Public Service we have had positive and productive negotiations between the employer and the union on the issue of flexible working. This has led to good results that will benefit both parties,” she said.
‘At a time when many companies and organizations are working to improve job satisfaction and boost workplace morale through flexible working arrangements, they have completely failed to read the room.
‘Flexible working and rights to work from home have the potential to transform the diversity, resilience and adaptability of a business or organisation, and this is how they should be used.’
Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus said workers still needed protection and security when working from home.
“When employers’ lobbyists use the term flexibility, they mean less safety and security for working people, and this most affects female workers and carers,” McManus said in a statement.
‘Employers’ submissions to this price review are cynical and not in the best interests of working people, particularly working women and workers with family responsibilities.
‘Wanting changes to the price which remove women workers’ right to basic protections of fair working hours will further entrench disadvantage and uncertainty. The ACTU and our affiliates strongly oppose this cynical move.’
The Fair Work Commission has invited companies and trade union groups to share how they are incorporating home working allowances for their staff as it continues to investigate how flexible arrangements can benefit busy parents.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the ACTU for comment.
Daniel Hume, a health worker based in Queensland, applied to work entirely from home in March 2021, claiming it made him more productive (stock image)
It comes after Daniel Hume, a health worker based in Queensland, won a landmark legal battle from home to only work in the office one day a week.
Hume appealed to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC), claiming Queensland Health had taken a blanket approach and failed to take his circumstances into account.
He also argued that he had fewer distractions and more time to exercise when he worked from home because his commute time was eliminated.
The QIRC ordered that Mr Hume only work in the office one day a week.
Queensland Health took the case to the state industrial tribunal, taking the position that office hours help workers switch off after work and avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
They also argued that Mr Hume needed to have face-to-face interactions as part of his job as a manager.
The Industrial Court’s deputy president dismissed Queensland Health’s appeal last Friday, saying the decision handed down by the QIRC was correct.