Procedure: Ordinary hours of work and related provisions

Purpose

To provide professional staff with information on a range of associated employment conditions, including: ordinary hours of work; span of hours and entitlement to breaks.

Procedure

1. All staff are required to attend work during the hours prescribed by their supervisor and will be present at the prescribed work location on campus unless otherwise agreed in writing by their supervisor or where an agreed home-based work arrangement is in place.
2. Notwithstanding clause 1 (above), any such arrangements may be varied by the University to meet operational needs.

Hours of work

3. The ordinary number of hours of work (exclusive of meal breaks) required for a full-time, professional staff member will be 35 hours per week except for the following:

4. The ordinary hours of work for a night assistant who is rostered on night work at the Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories may exceed 35 in a week provided that: they do not exceed 70 hours in a fortnight commencing on the day on which the night work begins; and such night work begins not earlier than 30 minutes before evening astronomical twilight and ends not later than 30 minutes after morning astronomical twilight on any day. Where night work is impracticable, a rostered night assistant may be employed on daytime duties. Overtime will be in accordance with the ANU Procedure: Overtime for professional staff.

Span of hours

5. Ordinary time rates will occur between Monday to Friday, and in accordance with the following spans:

Entitlements to breaks

6. Staff members are entitled to breaks for meals, morning/afternoon tea, safety and changing time for purpose of washing and changing in accordance with the following table:

7. The University acknowledges staff may require flexibility around their breaks, including the use of micro breaks for wellness, family support, religious observation, to meet personal requirements and/or other commitments.  In these cases, staff may request a flexible work arrangement in accordance with clause 8 – 33 (below).

Flexible work arrangements

8. Flexible working arrangements promote opportunities for a better work life balance. The University will provide staff with opportunities to access flexible working arrangements.
9. The University will give priority to requests made for the reasons outlined in the National Employment Standards of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).

Requesting flexible work arrangements

10. A staff member with more than six months’ continuous service may make a written request for a flexible work arrangement to their supervisor.
11.  A staff member with less than six months’ continuous service may make a written request where the flexible arrangements were discussed during the staff member’s recruitment process, or where there are exceptional circumstances.
12. A flexible work arrangement may include:

1. Flexible working hours for professional staff, including flexitime and non-prescribed flexible working hours;
2. Changes to the start and/or finish time of work;
3. Part-time work;
4. Remote working arrangements;
5. Job sharing; and
6. Leave without pay (in accordance with the ANU Procedure: Other leave).

13. A staff member’s written request for a flexible work arrangement must include the details of the arrangement proposed, the duration of time for which the arrangement is requested and the reason for the request.

Consideration of flexible work arrangements

14. The supervisor will genuinely consider a request for a flexible work arrangement. Before responding to the request, the supervisor should discuss the details of the request with the staff member and try to reach agreement. Human Resources staff may provide support if requested by either the staff member or the supervisor.
15. A supervisor will respond to a request for flexible working arrangements in writing within 21 days and advise whether the request has been approved or declined.
16. A supervisor will not unreasonably decline a request for flexible working arrangements, but may decline on the following reasonable business grounds:

1. the requested working arrangements would be too costly for the University;
2. there is no capacity to change the working arrangements of other staff members to accommodate the requested working arrangements;
3. the requested working arrangements would be likely to result in significant loss of efficiency or productivity; or
4. the requested working arrangements would likely have a significant negative impact on services and/or operational requirements of the role, and cannot be reasonably accommodated by other arrangements.

17. If the request is refused, the supervisor's written response to the request must include details of the reasons for the refusal, including why the request was unable to be accommodated, and, if applicable, the reasonable business ground(s) for the refusal and how they apply to the staff member.
18. It is expected that where a flexible work arrangement is agreed, the terms of the arrangement will be appropriately documented and where applicable, recorded via HORUS.
19. The University may only change or cease a flexible work arrangement on reasonable business grounds, as outlined in clause 16 (above), by providing the staff member with one month notice in writing (or in exceptional circumstances, where a lesser period may be provided), the reasonable business ground(s) and how they apply to the staff member.

Remote working arrangements

20. A full-time professional staff member may apply to work remotely for up to two days per week, or more in exceptional circumstances. A part-time staff member’s entitlement to work remotely will be calculated on a pro rata basis.
21. With reference to clause 10 - 11 (above), the supervisor will accommodate any reasonable request by the staff member to work remotely on a regular basis.
22. Prior to commencing remote work, arrangements must be submitted and approved via the flexible work arrangement form, including an off-campus workstation assessment, both of which are accessible through HORUS.
23. Remote working arrangements will be reviewed every six months or at the request of a staff member or supervisor, and amended if required.
24. Remote working arrangements must comply with the ANU Procedure: Home-based work, and the ANU Procedure: Working safely away from campus.

Flexitime

25. Flexitime is an arrangement whereby a professional staff member (up to an ANU Officer Grade 8) may, with the approval of their supervisor, start and/or finish work at flexible times normally within the span of hours. Flexitime is not designed to increase or reduce the total number of hours that must be worked by staff. A request to work flexitime arrangements will not be unreasonably refused.
26. Staff and supervisors may refer to the ANU Guideline: Flexitime for further information about the use of these arrangements.

Non-prescribed flexible working arrangements

27. Non-prescribed flexible working arrangements are worked outside the span of hours, may not attract overtime or shift work penalties.
28. These arrangements will be agreed in writing by the University and a staff member or a category of staff members at a work location, or where authorised by the Chief People Officer.
29. Any such agreement must be documented with records kept of start and finishing times.

Individual flexibility agreements

30. Individual flexibility agreements may be entered into between a staff member and the University, where the request varies the effect of the terms of the Enterprise Agreement, and the University must ensure that the terms of the individual flexibility arrangement:

1. are about permitted matters under section 172 of the Fair Work Act 2009;
2. are not unlawful terms under section 194 of the Fair Work Act 2009; and
3. result in the staff member being better off overall than they would be if no arrangement was made.

31. Where an arrangement is discussed between staff member and supervisor that may constitute an individual flexibility agreement, this matter shall be raised with Human Resources staff.
32. Human Resources staff will provide support in documenting the arrangement, in line with the ANU Enterprise Agreement and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and seek the approval of the Chief People Officer.

Resolution of queries or concerns

33. Staff are encouraged to contact their business area manager or local human resources team to discuss any concerns in relation to the application of flexible work provisions as prescribed in the ANU Enterprise Agreement and this procedure.