Your contract of employment or local policy may allow your employer to change your shift pattern if they follow the correct process. For example, your contract may only specify the number of hours you work per week while requiring you to ‘work flexibly to meet the needs of the department’ or similar.

Who can change a shift pattern? As an employer, changing shift patterns is your decision. Despite this, it’s crucial you get the employee’s consent before doing so. If their hours aren’t fixed, you may change them at your discretion, so long as the change is reasonable.

Can I refuse a job change?

It’s good practice to offer to discuss any concerns, which again might help encourage them to agree to the changes. However, in short, an employee can refuse to accept a change or variation in their contract’s terms and conditions.

When do employees have to move to a new location?

When employees have to move. If an employer moves the location of their business, employees should check their employment contract for a ‘mobility clause’. A mobility clause says employees have to move within certain limits.

Can a employer force an employee to move?

It means that employers can normally force their employees to move to places allowed by the clause, unless this is completely unreasonable. It would be unreasonable to ask an employee to move to another country with only 1 day’s notice.

Why was my workplace moved to an unreasonable location?

However, in Kweifio-Okai v RMIT University a contract of employment stated that the employment would primarily occur at ‘Bundoora campuses with the possibility to work at others.’ Given that the employment contract described the possibility of alternative work locations, the employer had the right to relocate the employee.

Can a company unilaterally change the location of a workplace?

The first consideration for the Court is whether there is a mobility clause in the employment contract which allows your employer to unilaterally change the location of the workplace. If this is not permitted the employee may have a right to a redundancy.