Flexible Working
25 July 2023
Governments Flexible Working Bill has gained Royal Assent and will likely go live during 2024
The Government put forward a range of changes to the way that flexible working requests are currently managed, reviewed and potentially declined and has consulted on them for the past year or so.
The key changes to come from this will be;
- An employee will have the right to make a request from day 1 of employment,
- Right for an employee to make 2 requests in a 12 month period (currently 1),
- Waiting time for a decision to be reached has been reduced from 3 months to 2 months,
- Removal of the requirement for the employee to explain the effect their request may have on the business and how the employer may deal with it.
- Requirement for employers to consult with the employee before rejecting their request.
ACAS have opened a consultation on a draft code of practice for employers to go along side the new legislation and this will be open until 6th September 2023. Acas consultation on the draft Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working | Acas
Although there is no set time frame for implementation, Royal Assent means it will come into force sooner rather than later so for best practice it may be worth considering reviewing relevant policies to implement these new requirements before they go live to ensure compliance.
To find out more about the changes please have a look at the link below:
Millions to benefit from new flexible working measures - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)