With effect from 6th April 2024 all employees, regardless of their length of service, will have the right to request flexible working. The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023, which were published last December, make it clear that flexible working will, for applications made on or after 6th April 2024, become a Day 1 right for all employees.
Alongside this change, the government published wider changes to flexible working last autumn. The wider changes are as follows:
- Removing the requirement for employees, in their written request, to set out what effect the proposed flexibility would have on the employer’s business and how any effect could be dealt with.
- Increasing the number of flexible working requests which can be made in any 12-month period from 1 to 2.
- Reducing the primary time period within which flexible working requests must be dealt with (including any appeal) from 3 months to 2 months. As before, it will remain possible, by agreement with the employee, to extend this time period.
It is expected that these additional changes will come into effect at the same time that flexible working becomes a Day 1 right (i.e. for applications on or after 6th April 2024).
Find out how we can help. Our partner, Jon Dunkley, heads the Wollens specialist Employment Department. Contact him today for an informal chat, without obligation on 01271 342268 or via email at [email protected].
