Following a consultation opened last year, British workers will have the right to request flexible working arrangements from day one of employment under new plans for flexible working announced by the UK Government.

At present, employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements only after 26 weeks of continuous employment. These new plans will eliminate the 26-week requirement entirely, as well as reduce the period that employers have to consider an employee’s flexible working request from three months to two months.

Under the plans, if an employer decides they cannot accommodate an employee’s flexible working request, they will now be required to discuss alternative options before they reject the request. For example, if it is not possible to change an employee’s working hours on all days, they could consider making the change for certain days instead.

Additionally, The Government has committed to the following further changes to the flexible working request process, namely:

• Requiring employers to consult with their employees, as a means of exploring the available options, before rejecting a flexible working request
• Allowing employees to make two flexible working requests in any 12-month period
• Removing the requirement for employees to set out how the effects of their flexible working request might be dealt with by their employer.

What is the ‘right to request flexible working’? 

At present, all employees in the UK have the legal right to request flexible working arrangements from their employer after 26 weeks of continuous employment.

Flexible working is not the same thing as ‘hybrid working’ – it doesn’t just mean a combination of working from home and in the office – it can mean employees making use of job-sharing and flexitime, or working compressed, annualised, or staggered hours.

Flexible working can come in many forms and includes:

• Reduced working hours 
• Changing the start and finish of working hours
• Flexibility with start and finish time (flexitime)
• Compressed hours – working the same hours over fewer days
• Remote working all or part of the time
• Job share with someone else

The My HR Hub team can provide your business with support in handling a flexible working request from an employee, as well as train your managers on how to appropriately deal with flexible working requests in future.Get in touch to request a free consultation and find out the support options available.