Success Happy - What flexible work and family arrangements has your workplace introduced?

What flexible work and family arrangements has your workplace introduced?

It is important to embed flexible working arrangements that assist employees to have a better balance between their work and non work responsibilities into the workplace culture. What has your workplace done to improve work/life balance and what do you think would be a great way to improve the way your workplace operates in this area? Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations - Joe Hockey

Public Comments

We get to start between 8 and 9:30 and finish between 5 and 6:30, as long as we still put in a full day’s work between those hours. Handy when buses and trains don’t always allow you to walk in the door at 9 on the dot, and also for those who want to avoid peak hour traffic.
At my office if we have an appointment, or something needs fixing at home we are allowed to use our laptops and hook up to the network. This has been great, for example, when my cat needed to go to the vet and another time when I had a broken window and needed to stay till it could be fixed. Sometimes I am just a little late to work from the Sydney trains messing up (happens a lot!) or something else and I just work a little later to catch up the time - I don't have to have that time come off my leave. The good thing is that work doesn't expect me to work at home (like on weekends and at night) just because I can! For me, when the day comes that I look for another job, I want to make sure that the company is able to be flexible to my needs - it is a 2 way street - as much as I am flexible to stay late on occasion if needed. There is a lady who works here and she needs to pick her kids up from school, so she now starts early and finishes early. This flexibility makes me want to work here and stay here cos I know that if my circumstances change, they will be able to change with me.
Well to be honest my employer doesn’t do much at all, but I’d really really really appreciate flex days, I don’t understand why some places offer the option of a nine day fortnight and others don’t. You’re still doing the hours – and one extra day a fortnight to deal with all the time consuming random stuff that life continually throws at you would be so helpful, and help everyone be less stressed. As it is at the moment popping to the bank and visiting the dentist etc has to be done on employer time, which is annoying for everyone. I really think this is something more Australian workplaces should embrace Mr Hockey.
Sageands...instead of being so cynical, why not try and answer the question, whether you agree with current laws or not? Whinging gets everyone nowhere... In my workplace, its about having a fair balance - and you know what? The boss doesn't have a whip, and we do get paid! Its about work needing to get done, making sure it is done, not always clock watching... If an employee (generally) puts in a good solid effort, the employer will (generally) be more inclined to be flexible. Most employers are reasonable and human enough to know that in life things just happen, it happens to them too...yes, they generally can walk out more easily to take care of it, but they are the one's with the financial burden and risk, not the employee.
I run my own business, my staff pick what time they start and what time they finish and what days they work as long as the work is done ,my staff are happy, my clients are happy , I'm happy, I just wish I could find more staff.
None really. I work in a Chartered Accounting firm, where everyone is obliged to keep records of their time. For the more junior staff, as long as they manage to hit 85%-90% productivity out of the 75 units per day - it is really up to them when they would like to start and finish. You can start really early and finish early. Sounds good? If you happen to spend a lot of time researching because the Tax Amendment Act was just being given the Royal Assent, tough luck. That 85%-90% out of 75 hours for 5 days could easily turn into 60 or 70 hours work in a week if not more. If we are counting the extra CPD hours that generally staff are also obliged to attend, then the hours are just mad. For more senior staff, supposedly we have the buffer for more admin work - i.e. supervising - so not quite 85%-90% productivity requirement. The rest...? Ditto. Up to you when you want to start to finish as long as you can do A to Z plus everything else. There are part time accountants being employed. For some reasons they are being allocated files that no one else wants to touch - offices where no one else wants to sit. So.....? Anyway - thanks for letting me rambling.....
Am not answering for my workplace but my husbands. He has worked at the same place for 3yrs and the new workplace agreement he has signed is great. The company hardly changed a thing-if its not broke dont fix it-yet they added some things that are to workers advantage.Would be great if all workplaces followed this stratergy.
Nothing, they are too busy taking away our penalties, holidays and overtime money! We don't get any benefits at all. Don't get paid for sick days or holidays. Pretty hard to handle when you have a small child. Johnny howard needs to go. You politics have no idea what it is like to try to survive and keep a roof over your head
I have got flexitime where I work, but i'm not under an AWA. BTW you were good on sunrise
The option to continue doing the full time work of two people while also juggling study commitments which are essential to the job, which I have to pay for... and no other option. At least I get to choose the hours I work, and I can also work from home to keep up. Bosses like mine need to realise that it's worth employing and paying the price for adequate staff so that the one/s they have do not burn out, get resentful and quit. The best way to improve my workplace for me is if I did quit. Luckily, I am in an alright position to make that choice but so many are not. Not complaining - but it just sucks when you work for someone who makes you feel taken for granted and the last thing we need is Work Choices to encourage more of it.
Joe If I may call you that, thanks for the Question. As a servant of the state I am happy to report that there is an ongoing review of leave including introduction of further maternity and paternity leave. Unfortunetly I am aware that this is not the case across the board. Especially with Queensland not having compulsury paid maternity leave for all mothers leaving the workplace. I think it is disgusting in this day and age that mothers can take maternity leave for 12 months and a company expects the mother to survive on the baby bonus alone. This happened to a close friend of mine and well as i said i am disgusted. The baby bonus would barely cover the expenses from the hospital let alone leave any money to help pay the ever looming bills that you incur in any household. anyway broaching the subject keep up the good work joe, I think you are a facinating human being and well bring some reality to the sometimes aloof world of politics. (the fly antics yesterday cracked me up by the way) Anyway if you can address this issue at your convienence that would be appreciated.
It has not improved one bit but taken all my rights and has eroded them under workchoices , AWA what a joke I was made reduntant under that, and no prospect of being able to get another job when all workers right's are being eroded under work choices. Joe I feel sorry for you, what about your rights ?, Don't you feel they that are being eroded like so many young employees feel, who have not the skills to ask questions of an employer, its either sign or don't get the job, and by signing and not being fully aware of what they are signing is a big concern for all. Joe even you would be in the same situation if you did not even understand what you were signing, and were told sign or you don't get the job , what would you do ? Get out and see the difference and talk to some of those people who have those concerns.
I am not working at the moment, I have given up looking for work, because I have a very elderly father who needs care, and I could not find a job where I could work just two or three full days a week so I could spend more time with him. Lots of companies give concessions to married people with kids, but I am a mature-aged,single person with only an old man to care for so I don't rate any special assistance whatsoever. It stinks.
Nothing.
Well Mr Hockey .. .I am fine with or without your IR laws and changes ... but flexibility is great for so many of my friends and peers .. If they are LUCKY they mightn't have to do that overtime that their bosses DEMAND of them ( without over-time penalty rates that is) .. so long as they agree to work the next week end ( without penalty rates) .. and if they can't do that well there's always the next public holiday. Your laws MAY be fine for those who hold high skills but they are something to be fearful of for the unskilled worker... they feel that they are now in the situation where when the boss asks them to jump .. they HAVE to say HOW HIGH or risk losing their job What these changes are doing are placing yet more stress on families ... taking parents away from their kids .. placing them on a minimum american style wage that takes away the possibility of moving upward and onwards.... You said that you will resign if Howard screws around with the laws as they currently stand .. Hope you don't HAVE to do that Mr Hockey .. because It might make you face a situation so many workers are now in ..
none I'm self employed lol
Oh really? Did we have to go down this path Mr Hockey? It was bad enough that Miss Gillard chose to take a similar path of questioning, but for you to take the this road? Ouch... you guys are better than this. As for work place responsibilities and work life... I'm on a salary agreement (nothing in writing, only verbal) basically i get paid for a 40-45 hour week, if i work less, no big deal, if I work more I get paid for them. I get 4 weeks holiday a year and 2 weeks "personal leave" a year. There will be times when,on short notice, I will have to work some extra hours, as there are times that my boss will turn around and say, "You've done some extra hours last week, you can finish now." I've still been paid for the extra hours on top of this. I'm not sure whether it's restricted to this industry, but I've found that within hospitality, the "If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" approach works a treat. Both employers and employees need to realise it's give and take, and not just take. True I don't recieve penalty rates, but i consider that hospitality staff are truly adequately compensated for their work. Whilst it hasn't been asked, I'd like to offer the following: In my ideal working world the premise would be simple: Employers take care of their employees and vice versa. By the way... good luck... rally yourselves, you can take this election.
I have enjoyed flexibility with my employers since 1996. The IR laws have done nothing to improve my situation, in fact they complicate it.
With all due respect Minister but if you're asking about my employer... My employer and particularly senior management still live in the dark ages with respect to industrial relations. Dont get me wrong - they pay the appropriate lip service to whatever legislation is in place. But when it comes time to actually DELIVER on the requirements therein, they become recalcitrant, complain of alzheimer like symptoms and need to liaise with everyone under the sun...just generally procrastinate until you begin to tear your hair out in frustration, draw a line in the sand and begin issuing demands. Then of course it's the employee's fault for being uncooperative, obstructive, and just generally having a bad attitude to their work. Basically you give them a nanometre and they'll take you for a ride that lasts kilometres. Whilst I like the idea of negotiating my own contract of employment, I think the supposed safeguards in place (fairness test) need some serious help and "beefing up" to ensure employers do more than just pay the appropriate lip service. Basically you need to drag my employers management representatives into the 21st century, soundly berate them for being bad tempered greedy bully boys...and DEMAND they treat employees fairly and with respect. With all due respect, but I'm more than just a number on a computer payroll program. Thankyou for taking the time to read my reply. Cheers :)
I am lucky to have an employer who is very understanding of my needs outside the workplace, however it is not easy for him to be highly flexible due to the nature of our workplace so together we do our best to keep each other satisfied. It's all about give and take. To improve the way my workplace and others operate I would suggest more job sharing options - so that two people could share one job, maybe working three days a week each. I think this is a great initiative that isn't taken advantage of enough.
Nothing to provide balance between work and home they are trying to introduce a 12 hour roster which includes working weekends. How this is going to benefit my family I don't know. Starting work at 7am and finishing at 7pm. Leaving for work at 6am and getting home at 8pm. The only reason they want to bring this in is so they don't have to pay overtime rates and nothing more. All it does is makes there profits fatter. Of cause no one in management will have to do this. Our only hope is on Election day. Good bye Joe.
My employer has kindly given us an hour off on full pay on Saturday November 24th,so that we can go and vote to make Joe Hockey unemployed.Work choices at it's best.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... hold on a second while I pick myself up off the ground from laughing, I work for a small firm (5 people), the office hours are 8:30 - 5:00 with lunch 1:00 - 2:00. I usually get to the office between 7-7:30am but that doesn't mean I ever get to leave early or take a longer lunch. I don't get paid overtime or time in lieu. I once was planning a trip up the coast and wanted to avoid traffic so I organised with work that I would leave at 3pm. I arrived at work that day at 6am but on my pay slip the next week it still had 2 hours leave deducted!!! When I asked why I was told that it didn't matter how many hours I worked, just whether I was at the office during the standard hours :) Luckily I am old enough to know my value for the firm & said that if that was how they saw it I would start work at 8:30am from then on & they backfooted & gave me my two hours back, but I still need to ask permission from the boss to leave 10 minutes early even if I have been in the office since crack of dawn & all my work is finished for the day. Still I needed cheering up today & your question has given me a chuckle. Oh how I miss my days as a public servant with flexitime & a standard 35 hour week.
My work place has some of the following and the rest are personal opinions. 1. Flexible start finish times to allow people to meet outside commitments (kids to school) or just take advantage of personalities. Earlybirds should be able to start early and the night owls start and finish later. As a night owl .. I dont go out and party but by nature I am not much of a morning person and am most aware and on the ball (whether I get up early or late) after lunch through to 11pm. I actually work 11am to 8pm. *Flexible hours allow the business to to operate over extended hours allowing staff of 9-5 businesses to deal with us at slow times or attend to personal business without having to take time off work or loose lunchtime. 2. Flex time.. (the abilty to "bank" unpaid overtime hours and take that time off work at a later date). This is really good for covering inconveniences such as transport problems making you late for work, or people who just want to manage their personal life better by being able to take time when its needed (attend a school sports carnival, dentist appointments etc). 3. Parental leave. Women are often disadvanteged in the work place due to pregnancy and young children. Many workplaces still consider woment unreliable if they are of child bearing age for that reason. There is a definite preference for men in mangement as they are seen as being "reliable"(wont be off work for long periods of time). Long periods of leave is disruptive as the business must find a casual/short term replacement and often has to train someone. Guys shoudl be allowed the same amount of leave as women and both types should be flexible to allow periods of on and off leave so that the mother can come back early on part time basis rotating with the father who can periodically stay at home with the child. Both parent then get to enjoy the early days of the child and reamain working with a reasonable salary to reduce mortgage pressure. 4. Purchased leave. This is where people can in effect take paid unpaid leave... (What??). We do have this and (people with children & a few grandparents- use this a lot to cover holiday periods) the person can buy 2 -6 weeks of leave and their salary for that period is averaged out over a year to get a weekly amount that is deducted from their pay. Its also good for high stress jobs as you can take a month of wrk every 6 months for a bit of a break. One complaint that I and others have had is that our and other workplaces wont train people or let them develop higher levels of skill incase they leave for a better paid job. My arguement is that skills make the workforce more flexible and better able to cover for people on leave. There have been numerous instances of people not being able to take leave because the lack of skilling meant no one could be found to cover for the person going on leave. (particularly noticeable when a lot of staff want to go on leave over school holidays the numbers are there but not the skills)
I worked casual at a large supermarket chain while I studied, and they no such balances. Whatever they said you worked, you worked. That could mean anytime between 7am and 12 am, and on any day except Good Friday and Christmas day. You had to give them 2 weeks notice, and if it was during a busy time, they would be very narky about it. They wouldn't roster me during my actual class times, but they would roster me until midnight when I had a class at 9. My boss didn't care about my studies at all, and didn't respect my needs for a work/life balance. This was the same for all the workers at this supermarket. It was so bad I had no choice but to quit. And this was before workchoices. I have been on the search for a job ever since, and the bosses seem to be even worse. You have to be available for them, even if you only work a few hours per week. Ever since workchoices has been introduced the small amount of penalty rates we used to get have all disappeared. The truth, is, it is almost impossible to find an un-qualified casual job that allows you to balance work, studies and life. Mr. Hockey, if you want Australia to have fliexible workplaces that allow for a strong work/life balance, you have to tear up workchoices. The fairness test has so far been a disaster, as the department just aren't checking them. Businesses also think they can get away with anything, and people think they have no rights anymore, no matter how many ads you run. The thing is, there will always be businesses that do the wrong thing. Before they were not allowed to, now they are. When they run their business that way, it forces their competitors to follow. It's fine if you're skilled, but if you aren't, it's a nightmare finding a fair job. Please, if you are re-elected, review workchoices thoroughly and introduce a system that encourages the work/life balance. Remember who you are supposed to represent: the people, not the businesses.
good to see finally a public opinion matters for once from the poli's. i personally dont work as i have a 2 year old but her fathers work has done nothing to help families. sure they let him have days off for her hospital appointments but he has to work over time to make up for the days that he missed and then only get paid normal rates even on the weekends. dont get me wrong about them letting him have the time off as i am very greatful to them. but he has to work weekend over time and yet get paid normal rates to make up for it. is that fair i wonder.??? i dont watch or care for politics much but what i do hear and see i am not impressed. i am on a sole parent pension and with the family tax A + family tax B, i only get $700 per fortnight. now anyone with children knows that $350 per week is not enough to feel yourself and your child plus other expenses. with day care too expensive, work is not an option as i loose more money working and paying child care then if i stayed at home on the pension.. so what can the government do i wonder??
none,i worked fro a state govt organisation..This is why i took 12 months lave without pay o get a balance....Am now living in Nerw Zealand..My wife works in a family friendly company..Paid Maternitay leave for males for 12 months...Also having child care facilities....
They say they are flexible but in reality when you ask for a change in your work patterns or for some flexibility, you are quickly at the bottom of the barrel. This happens ALOT in small businesses.
There will never be any balance between work and home responsiblities because the majority of employers forget that their employees have lives outside of our office or workspace... once we step out the door we cease to exist. My boss is a very kind man and tries to be accommodating when we have doctors/dentist appointments or are running late due to traffic etc but we always end up paying for it somehow. Seems like you are only rewarded if you devote your entire life to your job. As a young woman I have no idea how I am supposed to managed work and children... I can't go to the doctors or get to the shop to buy food so how am I supposed to take care of a baby or pick children up from school? Paid maternity leave and more rights protecting a mother's return to work need to be introduced... My husband and father are now working 10-12 hour shifts in extremely physical jobs under their AWA's, after having a heart attack it is the last thing my father needed... my husband is on call and does not received an on call allowance, we can't plan any holidays, weekends away because we never know if he will have to turn around and come home. Life is peachy for us working class!
I now get to work on Sundays without any paid overtime. But the advantage is I get thursdays off. Which would be really handy if I didn't like to spend time with my family Needless to say this company has now increased its training budget to train replacements for workers who have since left. I am only hear while looking elsewhere!!
I think you will find a lot of workplaces say they have introduced new arrangements and publicise what great employers they are (like mine). However if you try to access any of these arrangements you run into brick walls. It is all at their discretion, so even though they say they offer it - they can easily deny you access to it. Such as work from home, Flexible hours and job sharing. I am not the only one who has tried and been knocked back on these arrangments. It is ok to promote that you want a fair work/life balance for your employees but is false advertising if you then don't follow thru.
nothing as yet. there is discussions of being more flexible but this is not to benefit the employee....oh no. this is simply to allow the company to pay LESS wages at pay review time by explaining this new found flexibility as a lifestyle benefit (not that that helps me get a home loan as a first time hom owner) and so that they can hang on to the staff we already have. we are currently losing all our staff to the mining and resources sector.
I am working in the security industry as a grade 4 security officer. My employers are the most famous security employers of australia and infact enjoy an envious reputation of being the most reasonable and fair employers for their employees. they have a system of 4 days on and 4 days off roster, for all of their permanent employees. this helps us a lot to balance our personal lives with the proffesional front. I am truly grateful to them for their committment towards all of their employees. Just one small wish, only if the government could understand that the job which we do does involve great risks and working odd hours. So our salaries should not be converted to awards like fixed rate but we should be compensated by overtime and penalty rates.... cheers....
none
My husband works for a large company and to save on costs they only employ him on a contract basis, no work no pay. It makes it very hard for our young family. The company can call him up to work at 6:30pm to go in at 7pm and do a 12 hr night shift. We could have a family day out planned and the phone could ring at 5:30 in the morning, we have to cancel everything, tell the kids and my husband has to go to work. He has no choice but to go in when called because if you say no, they ring someone else and pretty soon you have hardly any work. We can not plan ahead, we find it hard to budget and my husbands body clock is always out of whack. So to answer your question we have NO work or life balance, we are at the beck and call of the company. LIFE IS HELL!!
As a nurse, I work a 7 day rotational roster. Forget holidays during school holidays, forget Xmas off with your family, forget being home to tuck your kids into bed because your on evening shift. Child care does not extend to the middle of the night so leave your kids at home alone. This is the state of the Health industry. Sleep well, knowing that there are thousands of nurses on awful wages, working under dreadful conditions who can't.
to see your family as little as possible.
they have started making us use our annual leave days when business is low. so i gather this is flexible for the business.
Well I lost half of my holiday and am on a weekend roster for an extra 50cents an hour.
none just forced onto 12hr 24/7 shift roster no concern for my family life at all
Joe I work as a security Guard if you wanted a good example of the opposite then have a look into this industry. We work 24hr 7 days this is our current rates. Day shift 12 hours award rate only $15.68 per hour. Night shift add 20% 12 hours.Saturday day or night time&half.Sunday double time day or night.Not able to go home sick if cant be replaced or if you do termination.I am on an AWA and we do not get above the award rate as a trade off for extra time worked.eg i have worked many times 60 to 72 hrs in a week on the above rates no higher rate here mate.This industry needs help we all get in to it for one reason or another but are greatly misled.I am and my fellow workers are in charge of looking after a mutimillion dollar supply chain yet our responsabilitise are overlooked and the risk factor tell me would you do this work for this pay?these are as per the award.I would not expect a reply because eveyone i have spoken to puts it in the to hard bin. E-Mail allansbuddy@yahoo.com.au
My workplace thought it would be a great idea to implement a day care centre in the work building for parents. Yeah great idea for the parents who work in that head office in sydney, but what about the other people who work in other states where they didnt implement the same facility's like perth brisbane melbourne etc!!!!! Other than that there have been no changes. You cant work between 9 and 3 for school hours, because thats not office hours. you must be there from 8-5. I left my job because between the pay that i was getting and the amount i had to spend on daycare, i was working to earn a measly 50 bucks a week. Why let someone else care for my child and work for hours on end to make fifty bucks. It was not worth it. I would rather lose the crappy 50 bucks and stay home and know that my child is being looked after by the best person who can look after her...one of her parents!! I have now spent almost 12 months looking for a job that allows you to work school hours so i can make sure she gets to and from school safely seeings as my daughter is only 5 years old! For the parents out there who dont have the luxury of retired grandparents to look after our kids, we either dont work and struggle, or do work and still struggle just as much!! My rent has gone up by 100 bucks but has my or my husbands wage gone up 100 bucks?? No it most certainly hasnt. I wonder sometimes it must be easier for all of us to just quit our jobs, spit out more babies and go on the dole. Seems to work for all those who bludge with their never ending babies, But for us who try to do the right thing by our families, all we get is crap. Can you tell me what the new maternity bonus of 4000 dollars is going to do for my family? Im not having any more children because its to much of a financial strain. I got $700 when i had my daughter, how has that helped? $4000 maybe tempting to a single pregnant teenager, but for those of us who have had children and know better it doesnt make a dent in what it costs to raise a child for the next 18 years!!!! Get rid of family benefits etc and make your pay tax free for families. At least it encourages parents to get out there and work, but then i guess we are still stuck with the expensively crappy child care services you provide us with to have to deal with. I'd like to see all the pollies out there get $700 (and work a 50 hour week to earn it ) a week to live off (for a family of 4) and pay our $350 a week rent, Buy grocerys for $200 (and thats a cheap week!) and with $150 left to pay for fuel to get to work again, power bills, gas bills, school and daycare fees, telephone bills, loans for cars, credit card bills, health insurance, contents insurance, car insurance, medical bills (cus drs dont bloody bulk bill anymore!!) and pay for some form of social life in between. Come and live at my house and see what its really like. Bring on kevin 07. What have we got to lose? I doubt it could get much worse with someone else running this joint!
None since AWAs were introduced by you and the federal government. We're worse off under our AWA. Its all good for federal ministers on huge pay packets - why would you need to genuinely care about or be in touch with average working Australians? I'll be voting for a Rudd government that will get rid of unfair AWAs. I don't think you've done a good job at all as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Be honest do you really care about average working Australians? You wouldnt have a clue about them and clearly do not care about them. The image you try to portray in the media is not fooling the Australian people. They can tell a genuine politician when they see one and can see through your act.
We are small business owner with 37 employee's, our workplace has been on a certified aggreement xmas 2003. The CA has replaced an award that was written in the early 1900's that perhaps suited big factories that had a very different work environment of the day.The industry we work in has a severe skill shortage. The primary reason for the skill shortage is the award and its inflexibilty/restrictions towards hours of work, rate of pay and conditions.Up untill we went on the CA (rates set by the no disadvantage test) our staff to make a dollar and pay the morgage had to work all midnight or 1am starts including weekends to get the penalties, all hard work no family lifestyle, no quality of life at all. Senior staff had no quality time with family, apprentices with high rate of sick leave cause they wished to spend time with there young friends especially when they hit 18(weekends). Since our CA came in our staff retention has been awesome because, the senior staff no longer have to work all WEEKENDS and Midnight starts, can actually be rostered on day work and spend up to 5 working days at home with the family at night and best of all the weekends can get shared around all staff equally without fear of losing the weekend penalty rate as you would under the award if you did not work them. They now have lifestyle that most take for granted in this country that is to be able to sit with there children at dinner without having to be in bed for midnight start. The wife no longer has to battle with the kids to keep quite 5 nights a week because "your fathers asleep" or "no we cant go to nanna's this weekend because your fathers working and will be asleep" these are just a couple of postives. Its just been a win win situation, staff are happy, retention of seniors has been awesome resulting in great quality product, more consistent and better training for the apprentices and a growing business that continues to employ because we are atracting new employee's like never before where others are not. Joe, our staff and us as small business owners have both won by being able to taylor a set of working conditions that benifit both parties in a uneqe workplace that attracts people to an industry that otherwise would not. For us our CA has gone a long way to fixing the skills shortage, like I said above we have people coming to us because our conditions are more attractive.
My work-place couldn't lie straight in bed! Whatever they have "promised" doesn't come into fruition. I have permanent injuries and they were told in a court of law what I was to be given. That was 4 years ago. Thus, I live in excrutiating pain 24/7 with an absolutely scheisse quality of life. Now that permanent injury has resulted in other. Oh, I have the tapes if you would like to hear them. They are snakes, so i recorded it with a hidden tape-recorder. Not to worry..Their time is running out. it's going public...Now, why don't you ask me about the corruption in the work-place. Even the internal people who investigate do nothing. You've got the "corrupt" investigating the workplace BUT they are the one's doing the shady dealing! Hence, why we need an independant body to investigate this poor excuse of a workplace. Sadly, i'm telling the truth. Just ask my lawyer!
seriously there were no flexible arrangements possible --- i was given an AWA after i was employed and 30 mins to read and sign --- if i did not no job ---- so no i dont believe that in general AWA's provide a better more flexible working environment at least for the employee --- for the employer yes it lets them dictate what the employee is to do --- im not against them per se ---- im just against the suggestion that all employers will be fair and that the government has effective controls to stop unfair treatment of employees
I have just started working and the bosses there give you 2 days off. You are only alllowed 5 working days in a row and then you have to have 2 days off for yourself and more importantly, your family life.
thanks to workchoices all my rights have been stripped away, nice one johnny.....
In answer to your question I think most Australians would feel they have been exposed to new expectations placed upon them by employers, the "flexibility" you speak of is largely a one-way street. One thing I have not seen in the public arena is what consequences this "flexibility" will have in an under-performing economy. Personally, in an environment of low or even stable growth, I can see this "flexibility" in the workplace leading to positions being auctioned off to the person most willing to accept unfair conditions. Professionals and qualified individuals have little to worry about, but if all you can offer is an honest days work you're in trouble...
I am going through the early stages of the AWA process. We are loosing our CASH award title meaning that our funding body isn't required to pay according to the CASH award. They are thinking of moving to the Disability Award (I work in the Youth Industry, nothing to do with Disability), therefore one of 2 things is going to happen. We will be offerd a new contract with $150 LESS PAY A WEEK or will be SACKED to employ NEW staff on less money!!!! There is a clause in our contract that says we have no protection against this. You know the dissappointing thing is I put myself through University, raising 3 children during that time, have been working in the industry for almost 8 years since. This is more than a job to me, its my life and passion. Becuase of your workchoices I am going to be forced into a job hate( ie Bunnings or something stupid like that) and my Degree will be a waste of time. Thanks Mr Hockey, Mr Howard and Mr Costello. You have lost a previous Liberal voter forever (and my wife and 3 children I will make sure they never vote Liberal). Please bring on November 24th. Kevin07.