The UK Government has announced plans to make the right to request flexible working apply from the first day of employment through secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows. The government will also develop enhanced guidance to raise awareness and understanding of making and administering temporary requests for flexible working.
In addition, a call for evidence will be launched to better understand how informal or ad hoc flexible working works in practice. Primary legislation will be used to require employers to consult with their employees before rejecting flexible working requests, and to allow employees to make two flexible working requests in any 12-month period.
The government will also remove the requirement for employees to set out how the effects of their flexible working request might be dealt with by the employer. A Private Member’s Bill introduced by Yasmin Qureshi MP (https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3198), which passed its Second Reading in October 2022, will also be supported by the government as it progresses through parliament.
The current list of business reasons for rejecting flexible working requests will not be changed. The government will also consider the role of guidance and awareness-raising in achieving these outcomes. The right to request flexible working will continue to apply in Great Britain (England, Wales and
Scotland), as employment law is devolved to Northern Ireland.
No timeline is set out for when these changes may come into effect.
You can read the full response and more about the consultation below.
