Individual Flexibility Arrangements for Nurses
When would you need them in a GP clinic, and are they worth the investment?
Practice’s employees and patients’ well-being are always the centre focus to maintain a healthy reputation. This is also met with increasing demand to minimise running costs while running your business like clockwork. These are just some of the factors that need to be considered when running a successful practice. One employment arrangement that can assist with these factors is an Individual Flexibility Arrangement (IFA).
An IFA is a written agreement used by employers and employees to change clauses in a registered employment agreement or Award clauses to suit employer and employee needs better. IFA’s can be used to vary clauses regarding:
Working hours;
Overtime and penalty rates;
Allowances; and/ or
Leave loading.
It is absolutely vital that the employee is better off with the IFA than without it – it can’t be used to reduce or remove entitlements of employees. It is best to consider both financial and non-financial benefits and consider including their personal circumstances. It is essential to consider whether IFAs are worth the investment.
All GP clinics aspire to provide high-quality patient care as a top priority and to achieve this, nurses and other team members need to be equally committed to that goal. Everyone needs to be rowing in the same direction. GP Practice owners must ensure that introducing IFAs does not have a negative effect on operational requirements or cause financial implications that may eventually undermine patient care.
IFAs should be created out of mutual respect for both the GP’s position and the employees’ position. Being a Nurse is a considerable commitment both mentally and physically. The flexibility afforded to Nurses through an IFA can provide the freedom for a better work-life balance. In the longer term, this can increase the quality of service you provide at your Practice by having the productivity and efficiency that naturally flows from the proper job satisfaction felt by employees.
IFAs are an investment – whether that is a worthwhile one depends on your particular clinic and what you want to achieve – remembering that the last thing you want is to compromise the quality of patient care.
If you don’t know what will work for you, You Legal can help. Just like your clinic, we also have a purpose higher than profit and will work with you to protect you and achieve your goals.
Need help?
If your practice needs any help navigating this area, please contact us.