Guide to flexible working

Auckland Transport’s

GUIDE TO FLEXIBLE WORKING

Work is something you do, not somewhere you go

The world of work is changing

Simon Harvey Chief People Officer

Flexible Work Arrangements have been available at Auckland Transport since its inception in 2010, and many employees are already working flexibly across our business.

When I started my first job as a cadet at the Department of Social Welfare (now Work and Income) the world of work certainly looked very different! Starting your career straight from school or university, the norm was to look for an employer for life. For those of us in our 40s and beyond it was quite likely we worked in one location with the rest of our colleagues and worked full-time, under strict supervision. These things would now seem absurd to individuals looking for their first job.

Technology, changing workforce and family dynamics, and the effects of globalisation on staff mobility have all played their part in changing what people want from a career, and their expectations of an employer.

At Auckland Transport we are committed to making our workplace the best it can be, from supporting employees in improving their wellbeing and work/life balance, to developing policies and initiatives that support the successful running of our business and the wider community.

We’re now further supporting this approach with new tools, processes and training to really bring our flexible work policy to life.

We’ve developed a framework to ensure our employees are able to balance their working and personal lives through appropriate workplace flexibility, while maintaining effective business performance and our required standards of customer service.

So please take the time to read the following guide, which outlines the process, support and framework underpinning our Flexible Work Policy. Thank you for supporting Auckland Transport’s commitment to really bring this way of working to life.

Simon Harvey, Chief People Officer

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The definition of flexible working

Flexible Working Arrangements relate to when, where and how work gets done.

These arrangements are individual to each employee. Common examples include flexible start/finish times, part-time, job sharing, working from home, compressed working and graduated retirement.

Of course every type of flexibility won’t suit every type of role, and agreement should be based on considerations such as the role, customers, team and business needs, and the technology available.

People don’t want to work less.

They want to work differently

Eligibility and Legislative Requirements The Flexible Work Policy applies to all Auckland Transport employees (permanent or fixed term), regardless of tenure. Any employee can request a flexible work arrangement for any reason. All employees at Auckland Transport are encouraged to have a discussion with their Manager about what flexible working might look like in their role.

Requests for flexible work are also covered by legislation under the Employment Relations Act 2000, Part 6AA. Under the Act, employers have a duty to consider any request for flexibility and respond to a formal application within 1 month.

Employees will still be able to make a statutory request under the Act, however the Auckland Transport framework goes above and beyond these requirements, with a range of support tools to assist successful flexible working arrangements.

Once a proposal is accepted, it will be trialled for a one to three month period. Flexible working is reciprocal in nature; that is, flexibility extends both ways. There will be times when work and/or customers’ needs will need to be prioritised, and employees must be responsive to this. In addition there are some roles which will lend themselves to a variety of options and for other roles, less options will be available.

People don’t want to work less.

They want to work differently.

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The importance of flexible working

Adopting Flexible Working has benefits for employees, employers and the community alike and these benefits are well documented

FOR EMPLOYEES Flexible work arrangements are rated as one of the top benefits by employees. Having flexibility at work can help with: • Improving your work/life balance • Increasing your sense of wellbeing • Increasing feelings of productivity • Reducing commute times • Increasing advocacy and loyalty to your organisation

FOR EMPLOYERS Organisations are focusing on understanding the unique needs of their employees and implementing flexible working arrangements to respond to these needs. Adopting flexible working can contribute to: • Improved business performance • Increased customer service • Increased productivity, with a focus on individual output and performance • Attraction and retention of great staff • Better management of operational costs

FOR THE COMMUNITY Flexible working can also have wider positive impacts on the community, such as: • Reducing congestion • Reducing our carbon footprint • Supporting an effective infrastructure on our roads and motorways

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Flexible working framework

Informal flexible working on an ad-hoc basis is still encouraged as a practical solution to manage work and personal arrangements that sometimes crop up. For example, leaving early to attend an appointment and making up hours at another time. However, all requests that are on-going and/or result in a change in contractual obligations should follow the formal flexible working application process below.

The 4-step Flexible Working Process EMPLOYEE’S ROLE • R eflect on your preferred FWA*, your accountabilities and daily tasks • C onsider the impact on team, customer and business needs and come up with strategies for these

• S et up a meeting with your manager • B e open to feedback, challenges or other potential options • Agree the way forward

PROCESS 1

Prepare

• Make note of any barriers or challenges and resolve as they occur

• M eet with your manager regularly to review this arrangement.

• Think about arrangements that would work well in your team

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• Think creatively and be open to trying different ways of working

Discuss & Agree

• Discuss and consider each proposal on business grounds.

Explore potential options • Agree the way forward

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• Trial for 1 – 3 months

Review

• Ensure stakeholders, team and customers are aware of the FWA* • Give regular feedback, observe any barriers or challenges and resolve as they occur

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• If things change, start over.

Action FWA= Flexible Work Arrangement

• Familiarise yourself with AT’s flexible work policy, process and tools

• Be available to discuss any flexible work proposals

• Trial for 1 – 3 months • E nsure stakeholders, team and customers are aware of the FWA

MANAGER’S ROLE

• Meet regularly with your staff member to review this arrangement • Formalise arrangement or change as required.

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Auckland Transport’s The Importance flexible workWorking options of Flexible

As flexible working arrangements are individual, there will be variations and combinations of different ways you may choose to work. However here are some of the most common options we support.

Flexible start/finish times Agreed start/finish times, within a core window (e.g. starter later in the morning to avoid congestion).

Sarah works from 8.00am – 4.00pm 3 days a week, and 9.30am – 5.30pm 2 days a week.

Her team and client meetings are scheduled between 10am – 3pm each day.

Working from home / another location

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Compressed working Extending the hours worked in a day to accommodate a day less per week or fortnight (e.g. 4 x 10 hour days with a maximum of 10 hrs per day).

Natalie works full-time over 9 days a fortnight, and has every second Thursday off work. She is motivated and productive while working a longer than standard working day, and has a buddy to be her out-of -office when she is away.

Her team and client meetings are scheduled between 10am – 3pm each day.

Part time

Working remotely, from home 1-2 days per week, or from a hub, alternative site or geography.

Working less than 40 hours per week, with pay and leave pro-rated accordingly.

Anne works from home every Tuesday. She spends this time on project work and writing papers and enjoys being focused and working without distraction. Her manager can see she is working productively through the output she produces.

Max is a Project Manager and works 4 days a week–24 hours in total. He has his out-of-office on when he is not there, including who to contact for specific work in his absence.

The Definition of Flexible Working

Graduated retirement Graduated and reduced hours and/or days to assist an employee’s retirement from the business.

Job sharing (Typically) two people employed on a part-time basis to perform a job normally fulfilled by one person working full-time.

Jenny and Matt job share their Client Services Manager role. They work 20 hours each across the week, with a two hour handover on Wednesdays.

Their skills are complementary, they have good communication skills and are well organised to ensure team, business and customer needs are met.

John is 64 years old and wants to retire within the next 3 years. He makes a plan with his manager to reduce his hours from full-time to three days per week for the next 12 months, and plans to move to 2 days per week at that time.

Lifestyle leave Purchase of additional leave (1 – 4 weeks) per annum, with salary pro-rated accordingly.

Alice requests an additional 3 weeks leave per annum to allow her to travel overseas and be with family. Her manager is confident he can manage resources and workload and approves the request.

Breaks from work / special support Such as study leave and parental leave.

Career Break Steve applies for 10 days study leave for the year ahead to allow him to attend courses, complete papers etc. He meets all requirements and his manager supports his application.

A break from work for up to a year for personal reasons for exceptional performers.

Alvina is successful in applying for a career break for a year, during which she intends to travel. She will not be employed by another organisation during this period, and in this instance her manager has agreed to hold her role open for her return.

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The Importance Our guiding Principles of Flexible Working

These principles have been developed to give consistency across Auckland Transport as to how our flexible working approach should be applied and what it means in our organisation.

• Any staff member can request flexible work, for any reason. We encourage these requests and the discussions that follow about flexible working arrangements.

• Flexible working arrangements will ‘look’ different depending on the individual, the role, and the team. What works well in one role for one individual, may not work in another role, or for another individual in the same role.

• We determine performance by results and output, not by physical presence.

• Trust is a key component in making flexible arrangements successful. Good performance and demonstration of the AT values is the benchmark for any remote working.

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• Robust performance objectives and meaningful discussions lay the foundation for successful flexible work arrangements.

• Our managers think creatively and are open to trying different ways of working. They are open to discussing arrangements, and consider each proposal on business grounds.

• Our employees are solution focused and open-minded. They consider individual, team, customer and business needs when thinking about how a flexible work arrangement could work.

The Definition of Flexible Working

Reflect on your preferred flexible work arrangement

EMPLOYEE: Process for applying for a Flexible Work Arrangement

Read the policy and guidelines

TOOLS TO ASSIST: • Employee Consideration Form Prepare your proposal Consider impact on team, customers, objectives

• Self-assessment Checklist

Complete application form outlining proposal and set up a discussion with your manager

Manager accepts proposal & trial period

Manager declines proposal

Manager emails approved application form to ‘Ask HR’ for a variation to be prepared

Consider an alternative arrangement. For escalation apply for formal review via ‘Ask HR’

HR prepares a variation to employment agreement and sends to employee

Once employee has returned the signed variation to ‘Ask HR’ the trial commences

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MANAGER:

Read the policy and guidelines

Process for reviewing a Flexible Work Arrangement

What impact does the flexible work arrangement have on AT’s ability to meet customer demands, deliver business results or on the team?

Review the proposal Consider impacts, alternatives and solutions

Discuss proposal with employee, review application form and complete any additional information

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Proposal and trial period accepted

Proposal declined

Manager emails approved application form to ‘Ask HR’ for a variation to be prepared

Review with your manager and HR before formally declining

HR prepares a variation to employment contract and sends to employee

Provide employee with decision and rationale.

Discuss any alternative options. Advise they can seek a formal review via ‘Ask HR’

Once employee has returned the signed variation to ‘Ask HR’ the trial commences

Email application form to ‘Ask HR’

Employee checklist

Before setting up a meeting to discuss your preferred Flexible Working Arrangement with your manager, make sure you have: Read the policy and associated documentation before applying Considered which flexible work arrangement/s would suit your preferred working style (using the self-assessment checklist Considered the impact of your preferred flexible working arrangement and thought of solutions and/or alternatives (using the Employee Considerations Form) If applying to work from home/remotely, read and signed the health and safety guidelines and working from home checklist, and attached a colour photo of your workstation with your application.

Supporting Documents • Flexible Working Policy • Self-assessment Checklist • Employee Considerations Form • Flexible Work Application Form

For further support, please email askhr@aucklandtransport.govt.nz in the first instance

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