SCENARIO
You are working as the accountant for AKC Architectural Firm which is a mid size firm based in the inner suburbs of Melbourne.
The majority of staff employed at AKC are married with young or teenage children, and after a human resources review it has been discovered that there is a high rate of staff absenteeism due to staff having to stay home to look after sick children or school related activities that staff need to attend.
The management of AKC know that they have excellent staff and a good culture/staff morale and based on this would like to investigate options for instigating a more flexible work culture.
They have asked you to undertake a report that examines whether the firm can support having staff work from home. This report will cover both the administration and architectural staff.
Some of the questions you will have to investigate may include:
• Does the firm have the appropriate software/access that will allow staff to work effectively from home?
• Will the firm have to purchase additional resources (such as laptops and software etc).
• What (if any) would be the cost savings to the firm?
• Do staff need to be educated on the benefits of using a home office in relation to taxation?
• Based on a standard 38 hour working week, how many hours would be acceptable for a staff member to work home from.
• What processes would need to be put in place to stop staff from -abusing- the flexible work system.
• What issues could occur if a flexible working system is put into place?
• How can the firm ensure that there are adequate staff numbers on site?
• What different arrangements may need to be in place for different staff? Can flexible work hours work for administration staff?