Flexible work response, Priya Raman, Larkspur Valley Shire Council
Flexible working request response letter approving compressed hours
A flexible working request response letter is the written answer an Australian employer must give within 21 days of a request under the Fair Work Act. When the answer is yes, the letter still has to set out exactly what was approved, from when, and when it will be looked at again, so the arrangement can be relied on by both sides.
The document, page by page
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Section by section
What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.
- Letterhead and addressee
- Larkspur Valley Shire Council masthead letterhead with ABN, Friday 2 October 2026, to the rates officer.
- Request summary
- The request of 14 September under section 65, the reason, the discussion on 24 September and approval within 21 days.
- Approved arrangement
- A table of days, hours, weekly total, pay and leave, and the start and review dates.
- Busy weeks
- Friday morning calls in rates notice weeks and swapping a Friday within the week by agreement.
- Review note
- A callout on changes at the review and refusal only on reasonable business grounds.
- Signature block
- One party, the manager revenue, with a date line.
How to adapt this document
For a request to work from home rather than compress hours, replace the hours rows with the days at home, the equipment provided and the core hours the employee must be reachable, and add a row on how team meetings are attended. For a partial approval, add a paragraph headed with the part refused, give the reasonable business grounds in plain terms and say what alternative was offered. For a request that is refused, the response must also explain the employee's right to take the dispute to the Fair Work Commission, so add that as its own callout.
Which law the terms follow
The artifact is written for a Victorian council, which is a national system employer covered by the Fair Work Act 2009. Section 65 sets who may request a flexible arrangement and section 65A sets the 21 day written response, the discussion requirement and the reasonable business grounds a refusal must rest on. The Fair Work Commission deals with disputes under sections 65B and 65C. Councils in some other states sit in state industrial systems, so a council outside Victoria should check which law applies before using this letter.
What makes this document work
It proves the Act was followed
The opening paragraph names section 65, the request date of Monday 14 September 2026, the discussion on 24 September and a response within 21 days. Those four facts are what the Fair Work Commission would ask about if the arrangement were ever disputed.
The arrangement is precise enough to roster
Monday to Thursday, 7.30 am to 5.30 pm with a 30 minute unpaid lunch, four days of 9.5 hours making the same 38 ordinary hours, a day of leave recorded as 9.5 hours, starting Monday 19 October 2026. Payroll and the team leader can apply it without asking a question.
The review is honest about what happens next
The callout says either side can propose a change at the review on Monday 19 April 2027, and that a fresh request would again get a written answer within 21 days and could only be refused on reasonable business grounds after discussion. Approval today does not quietly become a refusal later.
Questions people ask
Who can make a flexible working request in Australia?
An employee with at least 12 months of continuous service, or a long term casual, who is a parent or carer of a school age child or younger, a carer, has a disability, is 55 or older, is pregnant, or is experiencing family and domestic violence or supporting someone who is. The request must be in writing and explain the change sought.
How long does the employer have to respond?
21 days from receiving the request, in writing. This letter is dated 18 days after the request. A late or missing response is itself something the employee can take to the Fair Work Commission, so the date of the request and the date of the reply both belong in the letter.
Does an approval letter need to mention reasonable business grounds?
Not to approve, but it helps to say what would happen later. Reasonable business grounds are the only basis for refusing, and they include cost, the effect on other staff, loss of productivity and customer service. Explaining that at approval stage stops the review being seen as a back door to withdraw the arrangement.
Can the employer approve part of a request?
Yes, an employer can agree to a different arrangement after discussing it with the employee, as long as the response sets out the change and the reasons. Here the request is approved in full, with one addition both sides agreed: taking calls on Friday mornings in rates notice weeks and swapping a Friday when needed.
Can the employee dispute a refusal?
Yes. Since June 2023 the Fair Work Commission can deal with disputes about flexible working requests, including a refusal or a failure to respond within 21 days, first by conciliation and if needed by arbitration. That is why the letter documents the discussion and the timing even though the request was approved.
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