The Department of Labour is in the process of compiling a report to Parliament’s Transport and Industrial Relations Committee around the issue of making flexible working hours a requirement for employers.
Public submissions on a discussion paper released late last year have now closed. The results of this consultation will form part of a report to the Committee in July, when it reconsiders the proposed Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill.
So how does this effect contact centres? If your centre employs people whose personal circumstances fit the following description, it's an issue worth keeping an eye on.
“If passed into law, the Bill would allow employees who care for children under five years of age or children with a disability under 18 years of age, the right to flexible working arrangements in their workplace. It would also require employers to consider a request and would limit the grounds on which the request may be refused.”