From 6 April 2024, flexible working will become a day one right, allowing employees from the first day of their employment to make a flexible working request.

The changes to flexible working are:

•           employers will be required to consult with the employee when refusing a request;

•           employees will be able to make two requests in any 12-month period;

•           the response time to deal with a request, including appeal, has been reduced to two months; and

•           employees will not have to set out the effect their requested arrangement will have on the business.  

Under the proposed new rules, the application the employee has to submit will be markedly different and not have to provide any details as to what the impact of the request could be, and how the employer might deal with it; this will make it easier for employees who have not been working in a business for long to make requests.

However, it will mean employers have more to think about when dealing with a request.

When the proposals come in, they will also introduce the right to make two requests in a 12-month period. Currently, this is limited to one.

As a result, it may be that there is an upsurge in flexible working requests as more employees become aware of the changes (should they come into place). Your client should know that any requests made prior to 6 April 2024 should also be included in this time limit.

Other changes to the law on flexible working are also expected to take place, but as yet it is unclear whether or not this will also be on 6 April 2024 or at some other point in the future, as parliament has not yet confirmed the regulations that will bring these other changes into law.

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This article was prepared by the authors at Croner-i CIPD HR-inform.