As of 30 June 2014 every employee has the right to request flexible working. As part of that right, employees can expect their request to be considered “in a reasonable manner” by employers.
An employee has a statutory right to request flexible working once a year as long as they have got 26 weeks continuous service.
A request must be made in writing, stating a date of the request and if any other requests has been made by the employee previously. There is a three month period where the requests have got to be considered by the employer and a decision should be reached. Employers must have a sound and fair business reason for rejecting a flexible working request.
