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Athena Koelmeyer speaks to SmartCompany about requests for flexible working arrangements

Our Managing Director and Principal, Athena Koelmeyer, recently spoke to SmartCompany about the key takeaways from the decision Chandler v Westpac Banking Corporation [2025] FWC 3115

Our Managing Director and Principal, Athena Koelmeyer, recently spoke to SmartCompany about the key takeaways from the decision Chandler v Westpac Banking Corporation [2025] FWC 3115.

In this decision, the Fair Work Commission found that the employer had failed to comply with its obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) when refusing an employee’s request for flexible working arrangements that allowed them to continue working from home.

Athena addressed two key issues arising from this decision, including:

  1. employers are not sufficiently up to speed with the new requirements for responding and consulting with employees who request flexible working arrangements; and
  2. employers are not properly considering the employee’s actual role and performance when refusing requests to work from home and requiring employees to return to working in the office.

To read the full article, click here.

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