The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) on Monday said it will tender before the federal government's review of workplace laws a plea lobbying for Aussie employees to be given the right and access to more flexible working hours.

Ged Kearney, ACTU secretary, said employers most often do not accommodate employee requests to work under flexible working hours, thus forcing them into unsecure, lower paid and less-skilled work.

"We know that without real choices to accommodate their responsibilities, many carers today, mostly women, are forced out of decent jobs," Mr Kearney told reporters in Melbourne.

In Australia, employees with parental and carer responsibilities may request employers to be allowed to work under flexible working hours.

And with an ever increasing ageing population, this working set-up is all the more being applied for, Professor Barbara Pocock, University of South Australia industrial relations expert, said.

"What we have is an ageing freight train coming down the tracks towards us as employers and as a community," Professor Pocock said. "We need a right to request that is available for people who are looking after old people as well as children."

Although businesses believe flexibility can lead to better business outcomes, many still doubt if flexible work arrangements do actually bring effective results.

In a report at www.lexology.com, it cited a recent survey of Victorian women lawyers who were granted majority to their requests for flexible work arrangements, either part time or fulltime. However, it was revealed that these women who underwent flexible work arrangements, 25 per cent said the arrangement bore a negative effect on their chances of promotion and career opportunities, while 18 per cent said the quality of work they were given declined, once they started working flexibly.

"The reality of flexible work is often far less satisfying and effective than employees and employers hope for. In some cases, flexible work just doesn't work," the report said.