We know that at some point this year, there will be changes to the statutory request for flexible working.

As an employer, it is important that you keep up to date with legislation and what this means for you and your employees. Below, we outline six points to keep in mind in relation to flexible working:

1. The right to request flexible working will be a day one right, rather than employees having to prove they have been employed continuously for 26 weeks before they can make such a request
2. There will be a requirement that the employer will need to consult with their employees to discuss available options before rejecting a flexible working request
3. Employees can now make up to two statutory flexible working requests in any 12-month period, rather than one request
4. There will be a requirement for employers to respond to requests within two months, which is reduced from three months
5. There will be a removal of the requirement for employees to set out how the effects of their flexible working requests might be dealt with by their employer
6. The employer can still refuse a request, there are no changes to the eight reasons for refusal as set out in the legislation

Flexible working doesn’t just mean hybrid working – it could, for example, mean compressed hours, annualised hours, staggered hours, flexitime or part-time working.