Workers across the UK are set to have more say in their working patterns than ever before – including the right to request flexible or remote working from day one of a new job – under new laws set to be passed by the government.
Currently, workers have to provide 26 weeks of continuous service to make applications to change their work location, working hours or working pattern – but the Flexible Working Bill will significantly change that. Having gone through its third reading at the House of Lords on 14 July with no amendments, it is set to go to Royal Assent and become law imminently.
According to the government website, millions of employees will “have a greater say over when, where, and how they work” and businesses are “set to benefit from higher productivity and staff retention as a result”.
The new measures refer to ‘flexible working’ as anything from remote working to job-sharing, flexitime, or working compressed, annualised, or staggered hours.
Of the new laws, the UK’s minister for small business Kevin Hollinrake said: “Giving staff more say over their working pattern makes for happier employees and more productive businesses. Put simply, it’s a no-brainer. Greater flexibility over where, when, and how people work is an integral part of our plan to make the UK the best place in the world to work.”
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Journalist and campaigner Anna Whitehead, also known as @mother_pukka on Instagram, launched her Flex Appeal campaign back in 2015, and has paid a huge role in getting the Flexible Working Bill passed.
On Instagram, she wrote: “To be clear, the only job we reckon can’t be done flexibly – core hours, job shares, ward-led rostering, part time, working from home, compressed hours – is on an oil rig.”
Here’s what you need to know about the new rules for flexible working…
What are the government’s new laws on flexible and remote working?
The government plans to make “flexible working default”, according to its report.
The measures the government is committing to will:
- remove the 26-week qualifying period before employees can request flexible working, making it a day-one right
- require employers to consult with their employees, as a means of exploring the available options, before rejecting a flexible working request
- allow employees to make two flexible working requests in any 12-month period
- require employers to respond to requests within two months, down from three
- remove the requirement for employees to set out how the effects of their flexible working request might be dealt with by their employer
It also states that if an employer cannot accommodate a request to work flexibly, they will be required to discuss alternative options before they can reject the request, for example offering part-time flexible or home working.