Fair Work slaps down Australian dad’s work-from-home request to help care for school-aged kids

NZ Herald

17 Jul, 2025 08:50 PM3 mins to read

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The working dad wanted to keep his arrangement of working-from-home twice a week to help look after his children. Photo / Getty Images

An Australian dad who tried to get his employer to let him work from home twice a week, to help care for his school-age children, has had his request denied.

The dad took his legal bid to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) after attempts to reach a compromise with his
employer failed.

Paul Collins, a technical specialist at global software company Intersystems Australia, sought the ability to work from home two days a week in order to help care for his school-aged children, aged 8 and 10. His application, filed in January, also said mentioned he needed better “work-life balance”. His bid has not been successful.

His employer, Intersystems, operates an online record system in Australia known as TrakCare, used by healthcare providers to allow the sharing of health information between facilities and organisations.

The employee had previous been working remotely two days a week in late 2024, under a hybrid working model the company had adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic.