From 6 April, employees will have the legal right to make a statutory flexible working request from their first day of employment to ask for changes to when, where and how long they work. Employers will need to manage such requests reasonably and might need to change how they manage flexible working requests in their business.

Working flexibly enables opportunities to work that suits employer and employee needs. It goes beyond simply working from home. Options are wide-ranging, from job sharing and compressed hours, to flexitime and annualised hours.

Offering flexible working options can benefit businesses, including increased retention rates, a higher number of job applicants and reduced absence rates.

To learn more about flexible working, benefits and the legal changes visit gov.uk/flexible-working-changes

This is one part of a wider package of changes to rights and protections for workers coming into force between now and April, which also includes Carer’s Leave, changes to paternity leave and pay, and additional protection from redundancy for pregnant women and new parents.

UKFT can provide advice on employment law for members on a range of issues. Find out more at the link below.

UKFT HR & Employment advice for members