[2024] FWCFB 473
What happened
Peter Ridings, employed by FedEx Express Australia Pty Ltd since April 2013, sought a fourth flexible working arrangement to work from home full-time. He previously had flexible arrangements approved, including working part-time and remotely. Ridings cares for his wife and two children, all with disabilities. FedEx required employees to return to the office for at least two days a week, which Ridings initially addressed with annual and personal leave. FedEx rejected his full-time work-from-home request and the Deputy President initially found the request valid. The dispute centered on whether FedEx genuinely attempted to reach an agreement with Ridings before rejecting his request.
What was decided
The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission overturned the Deputy President’s decision. They found that FedEx did genuinely attempt to reach an agreement with Ridings regarding his flexible working arrangement request. The Deputy President noted Ridings did not provide sufficient detail regarding his changed carer responsibilities, hindering FedEx’s ability to assess the request fully. The Full Bench emphasized that employers can only consider information they possess and that Ridings’ lack of detail prevented a more informed decision.
What it means for employers
Employers should document all discussions and attempts to reach an agreement with employees regarding flexible working arrangements. Employers should clearly communicate the information needed from employees to properly assess requests and ensure requests are properly considered. Lack of detail from the employee can impact the employer's ability to make an informed decision.
What it means for employees
Employees seeking flexible working arrangements should provide comprehensive and detailed information about their circumstances to support their requests. Withholding information or being unforthcoming can hinder the employer's ability to assess the request and potentially lead to a rejection.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Send your details to Liquid Employment Lawyers
Liquid Employment Lawyers is a paid legal service and our referral partner, not free Fair Work advice. FairWork Mate may receive a referral fee from Liquid Legal. Tell them what has happened and a member of their team will call you back. For free general guidance, use our tools or call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
Prefer to read first? About Liquid Employment Lawyers · Not sure if you need a lawyer? Read the legal help guides
Want more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
FairWork Mate AI
This is one decision. Pro reads all of them.
Free case pages cite the top 250 decisions. Pro opens the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court library, cross-references your own situation against it, and cites the decision behind every answer — plus document upload, so it can read your letter or contract line by line. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.
Renews monthly at A$29.99 until you cancel. By continuing you agree to our Terms.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.