3.0 Work hours and flexible work

Our Approach

Reasonable Work Hours

‍We are committed to setting reasonable work hours that allow our employees to meet their professional responsibilities while maintaining a fulfilling personal life. We avoid imposing excessive workloads that can lead to burnout or compromise well-being.

Flexibility and Autonomy

‍We promote a flexible work environment that recognises the diverse needs of our employees. Whenever possible, we offer options for flexible work schedules, remote work, and the ability to balance work commitments (fulfilling minimum time commitment as specified in your work contract) with personal obligations.

Flexible work arrangements may include adjusted working hours, remote work, changes to working location, or other agreed arrangements. These arrangements are subject to management approval and may be reviewed if business needs, role requirements, or performance expectations change.

When considering flexible work arrangements, management may take into account:

• the requirements of the employee’s role
• the employee’s ability to meet job expectations and work independently
• team, client, and project needs
• working hours and availability
• communication and responsiveness requirements
• suitability of the proposed work location
• office, internet, and technology setup
• confidentiality, privacy, and data security requirements

Work from Anywhere

Employees who have completed at least six months of employment and are meeting the expectations of their role may request to work from another location for up to eight weeks per year.

This may include working from interstate or overseas, provided the arrangement is approved by management before it begins. Approval is not automatic and will depend on the employee’s role, performance, proposed location, working hours, technology setup, and any operational, legal, tax, insurance, privacy, or security considerations.

Before approval is granted, employees must provide details of their proposed working arrangement, including:

• proposed location
• proposed dates
• working hours and time zone
• internet and technology setup
• ability to attend required meetings
• any travel arrangements that may affect work availability
• any proposed coworking space or home office setup

Employees approved to work overseas must report the number of overseas workdays taken each month to management for record-keeping purposes.

Harvey may decline, amend, or withdraw a work from anywhere arrangement if it impacts productivity, performance, communication, client service, team collaboration, or business operations.

9-Day Fortnight

Harvey currently offers a 9-day fortnight for full-time employees.

Under this arrangement, employees work their ordinary full-time hours across nine working days within a two-week period and take every second Friday off.

Employees working a 9-day fortnight are expected to maintain their full contracted hours over the fortnight and manage their workload, availability, meetings, deadlines, and responsibilities effectively.

The 9-day fortnight may be reviewed if it impacts productivity, team coverage, deadlines, client service, or business operations.

Flexible Public Holidays

Harvey supports flexible public holiday arrangements where possible. We recognise that not all public holidays hold the same meaning for everyone, and employees may wish to observe, work, or substitute public holidays based on their personal, cultural, religious, or ethical values.

Where operationally practical, employees may request to work on a public holiday and take an alternative day off in lieu. This arrangement must be discussed and approved by management in advance to ensure team coverage, client needs, deadlines, and business operations are appropriately managed.

Harvey particularly supports flexibility around public holidays that do not align with our values, including:

• Australia Day, 26 January, due to its association with colonisation, dispossession, and the ongoing impacts experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Melbourne Cup Day, November due to concerns associated with gambling, horse racing, animal welfare, and consumerism.

Employees who choose not to observe these public holidays may request to work on the day and take another agreed day off instead.

Flexible public holiday arrangements are subject to management approval and must be recorded appropriately for payroll and leave management purposes.

Overtime and Compensation‍

‍We acknowledge that occasionally, project deadlines or other exceptional circumstances may require excessive additional effort. In such rare cases, where deemed reasonable, we compensate overtime work in accordance with applicable labour laws and provide time off in lieu whenever possible.

Time Management

We expect effective time management practices to help our team members maintain productivity during regular working hours and ensure billable project scopes are managed appropriately. Proper planning and prioritisation help minimise the need for excessive overtime and create a more sustainable work environment. We provide support and tools to empower the team to do this and it is the individual’s responsibility to take ownership of their time management and delivery. We rely on our team members to log their time accurately and on time in Clockify.

Encouraging Breaks

‍We recognise the importance of taking regular breaks during the workday. Employees are encouraged to step away from their desks, recharge, and maintain their mental and physical well-being.

Support and Resources

‍We provide tools and resources and support to our employees to help them manage their time effectively and strike a healthy balance between work and personal life. This may include Google Calendar management, workshops on time management, stress reduction techniques, and access to mental health support.

Monitoring and Feedback

We regularly monitor work hours and employee well-being through open dialogues. We use this information to continually improve our policies and practices.