Flexible working has become an increasingly popular topic in the UK, with more and more employees seeking a better work-life balance. In June last year, the government announced its commitment to introduce a 'day-one right' to request flexible working for employees ...
This is a significant step towards giving employees more control over their work-life balance and allowing them to achieve a better integration of their personal and professional lives.
The removal of the 26-week requirement also means that employers will have to be prepared to handle flexible working requests from new employees. This may require a change in their policies and procedures, as well as providing training to managers and HR teams on how to handle these requests effectively.
Employers should also be aware that they will have a legal obligation to consider all requests in a reasonable manner and can only reject them for valid business reasons!
In addition to the day-one right, the new regulations also plan to increase the number of statutory requests an employee can make in 12 months from one to two. This means that employees will have more opportunities to request flexible working arrangements throughout the year.
However, employers should note that the changes to the permitted number of requests are still subject to further regulations, and it is likely that they will also come into force at the same time in April. There are other significant changes we blogged about back in January when they were first announced.
They will not only affect new employees, but also existing employees who have not yet made a flexible working request. As of the 6th of April 2024, all employees will have the right to make a flexible working request at any time, regardless of their length of service. This means that employers should be prepared to receive requests from their current employees and have a clear process in place to handle them.
I feel that this new day-one right to request flexible working is a positive step towards promoting a healthier work-life balance in the UK.
Just ensure you're ready for it.
If you feel inspired to find out more about anything I've said here, do call me on 01908 774320 or leave a comment below and I'll be in touch as soon as I can.