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What you need to know if you receive a Flexible Working Request

There are a number of myths and misconceptions which surround the right of an employee to submit a request to work flexibly. One widely held misconception amongst employers is that employees can only submit a flexible working requests where it involves immediate family or dependants.

This is not the case and employees have a legal and statutory right to request the right to work flexibly for any reason. If you are a SME this can have a dramatic impact on your business. You need to understand what your options are if you receive a flexible working request. If you receive such a request you need to be aware of the following:

  1. Not all employees are eligible to make a flexible working request
  2. Your employee must provide you with certain information as part of their application for flexible working.
  3. There are certain specified grounds you can rely on to turn down a flexible working request.
  4. There are specified timescales laid down in the legislation for responding to a flexible working request
  5. Employees have a right of appeal if you refuse their application to work flexibly.

To ensure that you have a clear and fully documented process in place, if you receive a flexible working request, we would strongly recommend that you have a policy in place.

 

As a client of HR:4UK if you do not have such a policy in place or wish to upgrade your service to include this policy, please call us on 01455 444222 or complete an enquiry form here