Flexible working hours

We have developed an easy-to-use Flexible Work Arrangements Toolkit (pdf, 2.3mb) for staff and their managers to use when discussing and planning flexible working arrangements.

Academic staff

There are no stated hours of work for academic staff.  Flexibility arrangements may be negotiated within the relevant institutes, schools and centres.

General/professional staff

Federation acknowledges that it is beneficial for both employees and the University to provide some flexibility in staff attendance times. There should be equity of treatment for all eligible staff within an organisational unit, and staffing arrangements should be organised so that there is no reduction in service. A nine-day fortnight will not be permitted by Federation, but flexible starting and finishing times can be negotiated and/or concepts of rostered days off over a longer period may be permitted. Staff in supervisory or management roles will not normally be eligible.

Full-time general staff work hours constitute a mandatory 36.75 hours per week (Mon-Fri) which averages at 7.35 hours (7 hours 21 minutes) to be worked each day. Daily work hours for administrative, technical and professional staff must be worked between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and it is up to each area to determine starting and finishing times each day.

Flexibility can be considered within these boundaries depending on the operational needs of the area. For example, working two less hours one day and half hour extra the 4 other days is still within the weekly total of 36.75 hours. Such arrangements need supervisor approval and should be checked with People and Culture to ensure they are in line with relevant industrial awards or arrangements. Staff working more than 7.35 hours in any one day, even within the ordinary span of hours (8:00 am to 6:00 pm) are eligible for overtime. For this reason agreement needs to be reached if overtime is not to be paid and the arrangement for flexibility is because the employee has requested such a working hours arrangement.

Where staff are asked to work in excess of, or outside, the weekly total of 36.75 hours per week they are entitled to overtime or time off in lieu.

If the staff member and the supervisor mutually agree, prior to overtime being worked, compensation for the additional work can be taken as time off in lieu of overtime payment. ie: one hour additional work will normally mean 1.5 hours TOIL. TOIL can only be accumulated to a maximum of 36.75 hours at any time.

Annualised hours - general staff (primarily for part-time employees)

This form of employment allows for flexibility of working hours within any stipulated period - by negotiation with their supervisor. Staff can calculate the total number of hours to be worked over the 12 month period by using the Hours Calculator - for General Staff on Annualised Hours (xlsx, 298kb).  The flexibility of annualised hours means that employees and supervisors have the flexibility to manage how their annual hours are worked incorporating leave entitlements and public holidays. Staff working annualised hours must maintain time sheets which must be approved by the Executive Dean/Director/supervisor.

Staff should attempt to use all annual leave entitlements within the calendar year, however it is possible for annual leave hours or excess hours worked to be carried over into the following year if the employee and the supervisor agree prior to the end of the calendar year. Excess hours worked can then be used for extra time off during that following year (just as a full-time employee can carry over unused annual leave entitlements). Alternatively the employee can be paid out for the excess hours at the ordinary hourly rate. If you would like further clarification on this, either as a manager or an employee, please contact People and Culture (raise a case in Workday).

TAFE teaching staff

TAFE teachers are provided with flexibility through their attendance requirements and allocation of duties provisions as set out in the Federation University Australia TAFE Teaching Staff Agreement 2019.

In summary, TAFE teaching staff are required to attend their workplace for 30 hours per week, for up to 42 weeks per year. Variations to regular attendance patterns and teaching loads may be negotiated between Teachers and the University. Within a calendar year, employees are accountable for 1,748 hours of teaching and other duties.

The workload for TAFE teaching staff will consist of 1,200 hours teaching and teaching related duties, of which 800 hours will be teaching face-to-face, with the remaining 548 hours consisting of teaching related duties. A work plan reflecting the hours and duties agreed between Federation University and the Teacher to support their teaching and other professional work must be finalised by 1 March of the year to which it applies.

The span of ordinary hours is from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday to Friday.

How to apply for flexible working hours

  • Fully understand your flexible working hours entitlements and options.
  • Consider seeking advice from your financial planner and/or superannuation provider to understand the implications for your personal finances.
  • Negotiate arrangements with your supervisor.

More information

For detailed information on leave entitlements and conditions for different staff categories, please refer to your relevant enterprise agreement:

Please note the 'provisions/entitlements' above do not apply to casual or sessional staff members.