Understanding the Flexible Working Bill
Posted on 19th March 2024 at 16:16
The past few years have witnessed a global shift in attitudes towards flexible working. Instead of traditional office hours, employees are increasingly demanding remote, hybrid or other working patterns to improve work-life balance. In fact, 40% of candidates won’t apply for a role that doesn’t offer their preferred working model, according to recruitment company Greenhouse. As such, embracing flexible working arrangements may help employers attract talent and remain competitive in a tight labour market. Flexible working patterns can also reduce workforce stress, increase employee engagement and bolster productivity.
Moreover, the government has recently passed legislation to give workers more flexibility over when and where they work. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill was passed in parliament in July 2023 and will likely come into force sometime this year.
Once enacted, the following rules apply:
• Employees can make two statutory flexible working requests within 12 months (instead of the current one request).
• The time allowed for employers to decide on statutory requests will be reduced from three months to two months.
• Employees will no longer need to explain what effect their flexible working request could have on their employer and how it could be
mitigated.
• Employers must consult employees before rejecting any flexible working request.
• Employees will no longer have to wait 26 weeks before requesting flexible work; such requests can be made from day one of a job.
Next Steps
Employees can raise an employment tribunal claim if their employer fails to comply with flexible working legislation. As such, employers must take steps to understand the Flexible Working Bill. They should review flexible working policies and expand flexible working patterns wherever business operations allow. This way, companies can avoid unnecessary statutory requests and meet workers’ growing desire for flexibility.
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