Flexible Work Requests: A Guide for Employers
Employees have the right to request flexible working from day one, but how should employers handle these flexible work requests? In this blog, we’ll walk you through what’s expected from employers when they get a flexible work request. We’ll look at some of the benefits of flexible working for businesses to help you find opportunities, and the risks of not handling flexible work requests in line with the law.
What counts as flexible working?
It’s important to differentiate between flexible working and remote work. Your employee may request to work from home as part of their flexible work request, and you should consider this, but working remotely is not necessarily the same as flexible working.
For example, you could have a sales manager who needs to travel to see clients and potential leads. It may be better for them to have a contract that states they work remotely, but that is not necessarily flexible working. Plus, they may need to work their core hours and not change these because they cannot do their job outside of normal working hours.
A flexible work request could be as simple as wanting to start work 30 minutes later and finish at a particular time because it makes commuting easier. However, many flexible work requests are submitted because an employee has caring duties and needs help.
People can still work their full-time hours while also working according to the terms of a flexible work request. Each case is different, and that’s why, as an employer, you should consider each request on its own merits.
Essentially, flexible working is anything outside of the stated contractual times and location of work. This can mean working remotely, changing the start and finish time or changing days.
How to handle a flexible work request
As employees can make flexible work requests from day one, you should consider communicating how your business approaches flexible working from the very start of the employee journey.
Not all roles and businesses are built for flexible working. Your business might have specific operating times for it to deliver the work. Making this clear from the outset will save anyone applying who already knows they need flexibility in their role.
Equally, if you can accommodate flexible working, you should also put this in your job advert as it will attract more talent. According to research, 75% of businesses find that they attract better candidates when they have flexible working practices.
When you get a flexible work request, you need to consult with your employee before deciding the outcome. Having a stressed employee trying to make an inflexible role work around their other commitments isn’t any good for your business or your employee. Doing all you can to accommodate the request will often benefit your business in the long term.
When you make your decision, you need to let your employee know within two months of their request. You are creating risks if you delay the decision beyond the two-month period. If it’s a positive outcome, we recommend a trial period before you make any contractual changes. Only then update their contract to reflect what you’ve agreed. This will set boundaries in place, and your employee will know what’s expected.
If it’s a “no”, then you should outline why the request isn’t possible. Put this in writing to avoid any miscommunication or confusion. To turn down a request, you need a genuine reason. It could be that there is no one available to cover that time, or it makes performing the role impractical. If you believe the business would suffer financial loss from approving the flexible work request, you can turn it down.
4-day work week
At the moment, the UK is running its second trial of the four-day work week. The initial six-month pilot took place in 2023 and found that:
92% of businesses that took part continued after the trial finished
Employee stress and burnout reduced by 71%
Businesses saw a 1.4% rise in revenue during the trial period
There was a 65% reduction in sick days
These results help demonstrate how businesses could approach flexible working in new and innovative ways. The latest trial will also include some hospitality businesses, an industry which may struggle to find flexible work feasible. The current trial will last six months, and the results will be out next summer.
Benefits of flexible work
We’ve already covered some of the benefits of flexible work, but there are more reasons to build flexible working into your business operations. Firstly, it is good employer branding. It demonstrates that your employer's actions create a positive work culture, which attracts some of the best people to your business. Ultimately, flexible work can lead to a more diverse workforce.
Secondly, flexible work helps keep your people motivated and engaged. When your people feel as though their wider lives matter in the workplace, they are more likely to feel engaged and part of the team. Also, if someone is struggling to meet their caring duties and get to work on time, some flexibility will help them arrive at work calm and ready for their day.
Thirdly, flexible work can reduce stress. Life will happen to your people, so giving them the flexibility to both work and deal with what’s happening at home will help reduce stress and protect their mental wellbeing.
Fourthly, it is more sustainable, especially if the flexible work includes remote working. It can reduce the carbon emissions for your business and reduce traffic at peak times on the road.
Flexible work and technology
For you to offer hybrid or remote work as part of a flexible work culture, you need to have the right technology in place. Often, this can benefit the business as it enables you to invest in cloud services that create better data protection and backup. It also means your business and its people are prepared for any future tech changes.
Most businesses have been through a steep learning curve on what tech works best to allow for remote working. It’s always important to keep up to date with new software that can help your business grow.
Flexible work and managers
There is a high chance that the first person in your business to see a flexible work request is a line manager. Therefore, it’s important that your managers know how to properly respond to flexible work requests and how to consult with their team when making a decision. You may want HR support to get the approach right, especially if you decide to turn down the request. However, making sure your managers have proper training can help them make better decisions about what is right for the business.
Flexible work requests
Ultimately, as an employer, you should be treating each flexible work request on its own merit and make serious considerations about how it will work for your employee and the business.