A useful flexible-working request states the change you need, why you need it and how the proposed arrangement could work. Put the details in writing, identify the response you are seeking and distinguish a proposed arrangement from one the employer has agreed to implement.
Anyone can start a conversation about flexibility. The specific National Employment Standards right to request flexible working arrangements has eligibility requirements and a formal response process. Check which pathway applies rather than assuming every informal request triggers the same rules.
Check the statutory pathway
Fair Work’s flexible-working request fact sheet identifies qualifying circumstances, including specified caring responsibilities, pregnancy, disability, age and family and domestic violence circumstances.
For full-time and part-time employees, the statutory pathway generally requires at least twelve months of continuous service. Casual employees have additional regular-and-systematic employment and continuing-employment expectation requirements. Check the exact criteria for your circumstances.
For a qualifying written request, the employer must provide a written response within 21 days. Refusal involves reasonable business grounds and required discussion and consideration steps; it is not simply an unexplained yes-or-no decision. These points concern the national statutory process, not every possible workplace arrangement.
Describe the change precisely
Specify the hours, pattern or location you want changed, the proposed start and duration, and the reason relevant to the request. “I need more flexibility” gives the employer less to consider than a particular start-time proposal. If you are comparing a change of hours with a change of employment type, first distinguish those choices using our guide to casual and full-time work arrangements.
Separate what is essential from what you are willing to discuss. You may have one firm requirement and several possible ways to arrange it. Explain practical dependencies without promising that colleagues will cover work they have not agreed to take on.
A fictional written request
This original example is invented and does not establish the writer’s statutory eligibility.
Dear Manager,
I am requesting a change to my working arrangement because of my caring responsibilities. I would like to start and finish one hour earlier on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the proposed commencement date, with my total agreed hours unchanged.
I propose documenting morning priorities the previous afternoon and arranging a named handover for enquiries received after my finish time. I would like to discuss whether this approach meets the team’s coverage needs and whether another arrangement could address the same requirement.
If agreed, I suggest recording the start date, responsibilities and a review date in writing. Please confirm the process for considering this request and the information needed.
Kind regards,
Alex Example
Replace the fictional details with your real circumstances. Do not claim a qualifying status you have not checked merely because the example uses a formal request structure.
Use a review plan that can be assessed
If a trial is appropriate, identify the period, work outcomes, coverage arrangements and how concerns will be raised. A review should examine whether the arrangement works, rather than rely on vague impressions about commitment.
Keep a note of the request, discussion, alternatives and response. Do not start using the proposed hours before the arrangement is resolved.
Resolve an unclear response
Ask for clarification where the response does not address the actual proposal or leaves the agreed details uncertain. The Fair Work fact sheet explains dispute pathways for qualifying requests, including where there is a refusal or no written response within the required period. Seek advice about the circumstances and process before assuming a particular remedy.
Once an arrangement is agreed, check that the roster, manager expectations and written record all reflect the same change.
