Work-life Balance - Worksite / PaeMahi

Find out about the benefits of work-life balance and how the law is changing to help caregivers.

From 1 July 2008, you will be able to ask your employer for more flexible working arrangements if you care for another person.

You will be able to request a change to your hours of work, days of work, or place of work.

You will need to have been in your job for more than six months.

You will need to be able to explain how the change will help improve the care you provide.

What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance is about effectively managing the 'juggling act' between paid work and the other activities that are important to you. Find out more...

What are the benefits?

Research suggests that improving the balance between our working lives and our lives outside work can benefit both employers and employees.

Benefits for employees include being able to:

effectively manage multiple responsibilities at home, work and in the community
work in flexible ways so that earning an income and managing family/other commitments become easier

Find out more...

What does the law say?

The Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007 will come into force on 1 July 2008. The Act will change the way some employees and employers make and respond to requests for flexible working arrangements. Find out more...

What will I be entitled to?

If you have the care of any person and have been employed by your employer for six months, you will be able to request a variation to your hours of work, days of work, or place of work.
When making the request, you must explain how the variation will help you provide better care for the person concerned.

What will my employer have to do?

Your employer will have to consider your request for flexible working arrangements.

What if there's a problem?

You or your employer can ask for help from a Labour Inspector about requests for flexible working arrangements under the Act.
There's also a dispute resolution process if you believe your employer has either wrongly determined that you are not eligible to make a request, or has not followed the correct process set out in the Act. Find out more...

Where can I get more information?

There's a range of resources available to help people thinking about flexible work and work-life balance. Find out more...

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