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Flexible Working

New legislation to help 4.5 million more parents

An extra 4.5 million parents in Britain will gain the right to request flexible working, following the publication of an independent government review. The government is now consulting on implementing recommended proposals that the right to flexible working be extended to parents of children up to age 16.

The review also found:

• Any change should be implemented at once, rather than a staged introduction, to avoid creating confusion for business and employees.
• Small businesses generally had a better record on accepting flexible working requests than larger ones.
• Businesses would benefit from increased information and guidance about dealing with flexible working requests.
• Flexible working should not be considered a 'women's issue', with 14 million employees currently working flexibly, and the latest figures showing men make up 45% of this figure. The increasing earning power of women also suggests that flexible working now, and in the future, is far from being an issue that affects only women.
• More work should be done to raise awareness of the right to request flexible working, both among employees and employers.

Around six million employees currently have the right to request flexible working (3.6 million parents and 2.65 million carers), but over 14 million employees, including part-time workers, actually work flexibly. 

As any parent knows, the demands of parental responsibility don’t end at the age of six, which is why we are going to extend the right to request flexible work to parents with older children. Harriet Harman, Women and Equalities Minister

Flexible working arrangements include working from home, part-time work, compressed hours, flexi-time or other arrangements agreed with employers. These arrangements allow for people to grow their careers and remain in the workforce, and reflect the Government’s commitment to helping people to make the most of their potential.

91% of workplaces who received requests in the last year approved them all and BERR's Third Work-Life Balance Survey of employers shows they largely have positive views about promoting work-life balance.

If you have any queries about implementing flexible working within your organisation, call us today on 0800 0482 737 or contact us online.