How we Flex at Monash

How we support hybrid working

Supervisors will work with their teams to strike the right balance for business and personal needs.

This includes clearly communicating what activities best suit working from home, and the types of activities expected to be completed on site.

University operations and service delivery requirements will continue to drive how we do our work.

We will factor ‘busy’ times into our team schedules, and we are happy to attend campus to align with our colleagues’ and students’ needs.

Where we can factor personal or individual requirements into work schedules to ensure your needs are met we will — even if they change from time-to-time.

Working in a hybrid way enables new starters or those early in their career to learn from colleagues onsite, and foster social and professional connections which is a real challenge in a fully-remote environment.

Why not fully remote?

We value work-life balance at Monash University.

While some technology companies, banks, telcos and others are offering unlimited remote working options, this level of flexibility is not possible for in-person education delivery, research and supporting activities in our sector. It is within our values to ensure we continue to come together and form a community that values in-person education and work.

Our approach is consistent with many other universities in Australia and around the world.

It remains important for all staff, whether working on site or from home, that work is completed within the span of ordinary hours (as outlined by the relevant Enterprise Agreement). This also means you can connect and reach your team no matter your working location.

Supervisors are encouraged to support discussions with staff about hybrid work and consider what arrangements will work for their organisational unit each year, in line with the Working From Home Procedure.

Staff members will be required to complete the Working Safely From Home Module to access the Working From Home Request Form if they wish to request a hybrid working arrangement each calendar year. This will assist supervisors with ongoing review and approval of requests in line with operational needs.

Supervisors and staff may note that the Working From Home Request Form no longer requires staff to nominate a work pattern for approval. This should be managed and communicated locally. This recognises that set patterns may not work for all staff, and the patterns may need to be flexible depending on business needs. The form enables staff to ‘opt-in’ to work from home up to 40 per cent (two days per week, pro-rata for part-time staff) of the time — the agreed days should be managed locally. Ensure calendars reflect work location to support effective management and communication.

Supervisors will work with their teams to strike the right balance between operational requirements and personal flexibility needs. This includes clearly communicating what activities best suit working from home, the types of activities expected to be completed on-site, and where working from home is impossible.

The Working Safely From Home Module must be completed each year. This helps remind staff of best practices in ensuring that their home workspace complies with Occupational Health and Safety requirements, as health and well-being must be prioritised equally on-site and from home.

Workstations

A dedicated workspace will continue to be available for staff who work onsite full-time.

In teams where staff opt into approved working-from-home arrangements, the Buildings and Property Division will support areas in considering how best to utilise office space, including on-site desk usage, and, where appropriate, flexible workspace allocation can be implemented.

Staff applying to work from home on an annual basis are required to acknowledge that the University may not be able to provide a dedicated workstation on-site if they choose to work from home for part of the working week on a regular basis.