{"id":191388,"date":"2024-11-20T02:37:43","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T02:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/?p=191388"},"modified":"2025-01-17T11:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T11:26:13","slug":"flexible-working-arrangements-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Are My Employees Entitled to Flexible Work Arrangements?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The landscape of modern work continues to evolve, with flexible working arrangements playing an increasingly important role in maintaining work-life balance. From managing childcare responsibilities to pursuing personal development, employees may need to adjust their working patterns to better align with their life commitments. As an employer, understanding how to handle flexible working requests is not just about legal compliance: it is about fostering a supportive workplace culture that benefits both your business and your team. This article defines flexible working and outlines recent changes to your employees\u2019 rights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Flexible Working?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Flexible working involves making changes to an employee&#8217;s usual pattern of working. Though flexible working is most commonly associated with \u2018working from home\u2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/types-of-flexible-working\/\">flexible working can take on several forms<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>working part-time hours;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>starting or finishing the day at a different time, or working the same hours but in fewer days (commonly referred to as \u2018compressed hours\u2019);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>working remotely (or from another location, which in some instances could be overseas);&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>hybrid working; and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>job sharing a role with another employee.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Key Changes to Flexible Working in 2024?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the previous Conservative government, reforms were announced to change how flexible working would operate in England and Wales. As of the 6th of April 2024, these changes have since come into effect. These key changes are detailed in the table below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Previous Flexible Working Regulations<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Changes from 6th April 2024<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>The employee has worked for you for at least 26 weeks.<\/td><td>The right to make a flexible working request will become a day-one entitlement.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Allow employees to make 1 flexible working request every 12 months.<\/td><td>Employees will now be able to make 2 flexible working requests every 12 months.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Employees had to explain what impact their flexible working request would have on the employer.<\/td><td>Employees will no longer need to explain the impact that their flexible working request may have on the employer.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Employers have to respond in 3 months to a flexible working request.<\/td><td>Employers will now have 2 months to respond to a flexible working request.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Employers can refuse a request without consulting employees first.<\/td><td>Employers will need to consult employees before refusing a flexible working request.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n    <p>In light of these changes, ACAS has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acas.org.uk\/acas-code-of-practice-on-flexible-working-requests\/html\">updated its code of practice<\/a> on requests for flexible working, but other than the discussed changes, the existing framework remains the same, as discussed below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 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This request should outline:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the changes that they are requesting;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the date that they would like this change to take effect; and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>that this request is a formal statutory flexible working request.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rejecting Requests:<\/strong> You will still be able to reject a flexible working request on one of eight bases, discussed further in this article.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Excluded Categories:<\/strong> Wider categories of workers, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/uncategorised\/points-to-note-hiring-workers-employment-agencies\/\">agency workers<\/a> or contractors, will not have the right to make a statutory flexible working request.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Can I Reject a Flexible Working Request?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As an employer, you still retain the same eight reasons for refusing a flexible working request. This applies as long as you have a good business reason to do so. These reasons are:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Additional Costs: <\/strong>The request would cause extra costs that would harm the business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reorganising Work: <\/strong>The work cannot be reorganised among existing staff.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recruiting Staff:<\/strong> The business cannot recruit additional staff to do the work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quality: <\/strong>The request would affect the quality of the work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Performance: <\/strong>The request would affect the performance of the employee or their colleagues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Customer Semand: <\/strong>The request would make it difficult for the business to meet customer demand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Work: <\/strong>There would be a lack of work during the proposed working times.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Structural Changes:<\/strong> The business is planning changes to the workforce.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the Process After an Employee Makes a Flexible Working Request?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If an employee makes a formal flexible working request, you have a duty to respond and deal with all flexible working requests consistently within two months (including any appeal).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first instance, you should hold a meeting to discuss the proposed changes. Your employee should also generally be able to bring a colleague to this meeting, though it is not a legal right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After this meeting, you will need to consider whether the flexible working request should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>accommodated;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>altered; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>rejected on one of the eight business bases.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--star\">\n    <p>During this process, you should also consider whether the employee is requesting based on a protected characteristic such as a disability (under the <em>Equality Act 2010<\/em>). If so, it is important to make any reasonable adjustments to minimise the risk of a claim, particularly if you seek to reject the request.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If the flexible working request alters an employee\u2019s contract of employment, you must confirm the <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/handle-employment-contract-changes\/\">change to the contract terms in writing<\/a>, in addition to confirming the outcome of the flexible working request.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Can an Employee Do if They Disagree With the Outcome?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If an employee disagrees with a rejected flexible working request, they may decide to appeal against the decision. If this happens, you should look at your <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/employment-policies\/\">workplace policies<\/a> to see the best course of action. However, if a procedure is not outlined in your workplace policies, you should seek to address the appeal as soon as possible and ensure that it is in writing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--idea\">\n    <p>There is no legal right to appeal a statutory flexible working request decision. However, you should allow employees to appeal the outcome as part of a fair and reasonable flexible working policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, an employee may raise a complaint if they are not satisfied with the outcome of their request. If this is the case, it should be dealt with in accordance with any grievance policies in the first instance. If an employee is still unhappy with the outcome or feels discriminated against, they may wish to pursue a case in the Employment Tribunal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As an employer, your employees have the legal right to make a flexible working request from day one of their employment. With the recent changes to the flexible working regime, it is important to ensure that you comply with the updated obligations. This includes consulting employees when they submit flexible working requests and only rejecting them based on one of the eight approved business reasons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need help understanding flexible working arrangements, our experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment-lawyers-lp\/\">employment lawyers<\/a> can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents for a low monthly fee. So call us today on <a href=\"tel:+448081968584\" class=\"AVANSERnumber dynamic-number\">0808 196 8584<\/a> or visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/membership\">membership page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1732065650865\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What are the recent changes to flexible working laws in 2024?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">As of 6 April 2024, employees now have the right to request flexible working arrangements from day one of their employment. Employees can make two requests per year, and employers must respond within two months. You are also required to consult employees before refusing a request, and employees no longer need to explain the impact of their request on the business.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1732065664151\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>On what grounds can I reject a flexible working request?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">You can reject a flexible working request for any of the following eight reasons: additional costs, inability to reorganise or recruit staff, quality or performance impacts, difficulties meeting customer demand, lack of work during proposed times or planned structural changes. However, consultation with the employee before rejection is now mandatory.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><br><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"not-prose m-feedback-prompt\">\n    <!-- Thumbs up\/down bar -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__main\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__title\">Was this article helpful?<\/div>\n        <div>\n            <!--span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button--text\">Thanks!<\/span-->\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--yes\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:yes\" aria-label=\"Agree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-up fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--no\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:no\" aria-label=\"Disagree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-down fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Feedback form -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--thanks \">\n            <div>Thanks!<\/div>\n            <p>\n                We appreciate your feedback \u2013 your submission has been successfully received.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <form id=\"contact-form\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--form\" action=\"\" method=\"post\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"authenticity_token\" name=\"authenticity_token\" value=\"222bf55a0a\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191388\" \/>            <input value=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenturl\"\n                   id=\"currenturl\">\n            <input value=\"Are My Employees Entitled to Flexible Work Arrangements?\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenttitle\"\n                   id=\"currenttitle\">\n            <label>\n                <!-- display on thumbs-up -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--yes\">\n                    Can you tell us <span class=\"font-semibold\">why<\/span> you found it helpful?\n                <\/span>\n\n                <!-- display on thumbs-down -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--no text-lg\">\n                    How can we better improve this article?\n                <\/span>\n                <textarea name=\"feedbackmessage\" id=\"feedbackmessage\" required><\/textarea>\n            <\/label>\n\n            <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--error\" id=\"form-submit-error\"><\/div>\n            <button id=\"submit-contact-form-button\" type=\"submit\" name=\"commit\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--submit\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:submit\">\n                Submit            <\/button>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The landscape of modern work continues to evolve, with flexible working arrangements playing an increasingly important role in maintaining work-life balance. From managing childcare responsibilities to pursuing personal development, employees may need to adjust their working patterns to better align with their life commitments. As an employer, understanding how to handle flexible working requests is<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;Are My Employees Entitled to Flexible Work Arrangements?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13480,"featured_media":551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[20,396,897,1007],"class_list":["post-191388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","tag-small-business","tag-flexible-work","tag-work-from-home","tag-hybrid-working"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Are My Employees Entitled to Flexible Work Arrangements? 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| LegalVision UK","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/30230144\/brand-design-00045.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-20T02:37:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-17T11:26:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/799fdbf19f79aec63b9226a711b7cdfa"},"description":"This article highlights the changes to flexible working arrangements in 2024 and what you need to know as an employer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#breadcrumb"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#faq-question-1732065650865"},{"@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#faq-question-1732065664151"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/30230144\/brand-design-00045.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/30230144\/brand-design-00045.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067,"caption":"Are My Employees Entitled to Flexible Work Arrangements?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Employment Articles","item":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/category\/employment\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Are My Employees Entitled to Flexible Work Arrangements?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/","name":"LegalVision UK","description":"LegalVision is a commercial law firm in the UK with a commitment to innovation","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/799fdbf19f79aec63b9226a711b7cdfa","name":"Lewis Njie","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/Lewis-2320-scaled-e1714436289783-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/04\/Lewis-2320-scaled-e1714436289783-96x96.jpg","caption":"Lewis Njie"},"url":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/author\/lewisnjie\/"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#faq-question-1732065650865","name":"What are the recent changes to flexible working laws in 2024?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"As of 6 April 2024, employees now have the right to request flexible working arrangements from day one of their employment. Employees can make two requests per year, and employers must respond within two months. You are also required to consult employees before refusing a request, and employees no longer need to explain the impact of their request on the business.","inLanguage":"en-GB"},"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/flexible-working-arrangements-changes\/#faq-question-1732065664151","name":"On what grounds can I reject a flexible working request?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You can reject a flexible working request for any of the following eight reasons: additional costs, inability to reorganise or recruit staff, quality or performance impacts, difficulties meeting customer demand, lack of work during proposed times or planned structural changes. However, consultation with the employee before rejection is now mandatory.","inLanguage":"en-GB"},"inLanguage":"en-GB"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/13480"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191388"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192348,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191388\/revisions\/192348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}