Every employee in Great Britain will be given the right to request flexible working - regardless of time served - under government plans to modernise the way we work, Gov.UK reports.
Under the plans, which form part of a commitment set out in the government’s 2019 manifesto, around 2.2 million more people will be given the right to request flexible working.
The proposals consider whether limiting an employee’s application for flexible working to one per year continues to represent the best balance between individual and business needs. The consultation also looks at cutting the current 3-month period an employer has to consider any request.
If an employer cannot accommodate a request, as can be the case, they would need to think about what alternatives they could offer; for example, if they couldn’t change their employee’s hours on all working days, they could consider making the change for certain days instead.
The consultation looks at a range of flexible working methods such as job-sharing, flexitime, compressed, annualised and staggered hours, as well as phased retirement - not just working from home. It allows employees to balance their work and home life, including helping people who are managing childcare commitments or other caring responsibilities as well as ensuring that people who are under-represented in Britain’s workforce, such as new parents or disabled people, have access to more opportunities.
The proposals are also good for British business. Research has shown companies that embrace flexible working can attract more talent, improve staff motivation and reduce staff turnover – boosting their business’s productivity and competitiveness.
However, there are some circumstances where businesses will not be able to offer flexible working. That’s why the government is clear that they should still be able to reject a request if they have sound business reasons and will also respect freedom of contract rather than prescribing specific arrangements in legislation.
These proposals instead provide a framework to encourage conversations and balance the needs of employees and employers.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, “Empowering workers to have more say over where and when they work makes for more productive businesses and happier employees.
“It was once considered a ‘nice to have’, but by making requests a day one right, we’re making flexible working part of the DNA of businesses across the country.
“A more engaged and productive workforce, a higher calibre of applicants and better retention rates - the business case for flexible working is compelling.”
The proposed changes would also mean that all applicants will know they can ask for flexible working before applying for a job. Equally, employers will need to consider whether they can offer flexible working before advertising.
Alongside clear benefits to workers, there is a strong business case for flexible working. Benefits include:
* attracting top talent - 87 per cent of people want to work flexibly, rising to 92 per cent for young people
* a highly motivated, productive workforce - 9 in 10 employees consider flexible working to be a key motivator to their productivity at work - ranking it as more important than financial incentives. Employers have reported seeing improvements in staff motivation and employee relations
* more competitive business environment - the CBI Employment Trends survey found that 99 per cent of all businesses surveyed believed that a flexible workforce is vital or important to competitiveness and the prospects for business investment and job creation
This comes as the government also announces that it will be fulfilling another 2019 manifesto commitment to give unpaid carers who are balancing a job in addition to caring for a dependant with long-term needs one week’s unpaid leave, as a day one right.
The move is set to benefit millions of people; with figures suggesting that around 5 million people across the UK are providing unpaid care, with nearly half doing so while also working full-time or part-time.
Labour Markets Minister Paul Scully said, “Millions of people face the dual challenge of balancing full or part-time work with other responsibilities such as caring for loved ones.
“By introducing one week of additional leave for unpaid carers, we will give these unsung heroes greater flexibility to help them better manage their personal and working lives, while giving them greater access to the job market.”
The government response to the consultation on carer’s leave will confirm key elements of what the leave entitlement will look like:
* one working week of unpaid carer’s leave (per employee, per year) will be available as a day one right to those managing caring responsibilities for those with long-term care needs alongside work
* eligibility, both in terms of who the employee is caring for and how the leave can be used, will be broadly defined
* the leave will be available to take flexibly (from half-day blocks to a whole week)
* there will not be an extensive administrative process to ensure the legitimacy of requests to take Carer’s Leave as the leave is unpaid
The measure will also look to balance the needs of the employee with the employer, with a minimum notice period of twice the length of time being taken, plus one day (in line with annual leave notice periods).
Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss said, “As we move beyond the pandemic, we must seize the opportunity to make flexible working an option for everyone.
“No one should be held back in their career because of where they live, what house they can afford, or their responsibility to family.”
“I want everyone to have the same opportunities regardless of the background or location. This is the right thing to do for workers, families and our economy.
Employees with 26 weeks of continuous service have a right to request flexible working under existing legislation. An employer can currently reject a request for specified business reasons such as:
* extra costs that will be a burden on the business
* the work cannot be reorganised among other staff
* people cannot be recruited to do the work
* flexible working will negatively affect quality
* flexible working will negatively affect performance
* the business’ ability to meet customer demand will be negatively affected
* there’s a lack of work to do during the proposed working times
* the business is planning structural changes
Source: Gov.UK
Every employee in Great Britain will be given the right to request flexible working - regardless of time served - under government plans to modernise the way we work, Gov.UK reports.
Under the plans, which form part of a commitment set out in the government’s 2019 manifesto, around 2.2 million more people will be given the right to request flexible working.
The proposals consider whether limiting an employee’s application for flexible working to one per year continues to represent the best balance between individual and business needs. The consultation also looks at cutting the current 3-month period an employer has to consider any request.
If an employer cannot accommodate a request, as can be the case, they would need to think about what alternatives they could offer; for example, if they couldn’t change their employee’s hours on all working days, they could consider making the change for certain days instead.
The consultation looks at a range of flexible working methods such as job-sharing, flexitime, compressed, annualised and staggered hours, as well as phased retirement - not just working from home. It allows employees to balance their work and home life, including helping people who are managing childcare commitments or other caring responsibilities as well as ensuring that people who are under-represented in Britain’s workforce, such as new parents or disabled people, have access to more opportunities.
The proposals are also good for British business. Research has shown companies that embrace flexible working can attract more talent, improve staff motivation and reduce staff turnover – boosting their business’s productivity and competitiveness.
However, there are some circumstances where businesses will not be able to offer flexible working. That’s why the government is clear that they should still be able to reject a request if they have sound business reasons and will also respect freedom of contract rather than prescribing specific arrangements in legislation.
These proposals instead provide a framework to encourage conversations and balance the needs of employees and employers.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, “Empowering workers to have more say over where and when they work makes for more productive businesses and happier employees.
“It was once considered a ‘nice to have’, but by making requests a day one right, we’re making flexible working part of the DNA of businesses across the country.
“A more engaged and productive workforce, a higher calibre of applicants and better retention rates - the business case for flexible working is compelling.”
The proposed changes would also mean that all applicants will know they can ask for flexible working before applying for a job. Equally, employers will need to consider whether they can offer flexible working before advertising.
Alongside clear benefits to workers, there is a strong business case for flexible working. Benefits include:
* attracting top talent - 87 per cent of people want to work flexibly, rising to 92 per cent for young people
* a highly motivated, productive workforce - 9 in 10 employees consider flexible working to be a key motivator to their productivity at work - ranking it as more important than financial incentives. Employers have reported seeing improvements in staff motivation and employee relations
* more competitive business environment - the CBI Employment Trends survey found that 99 per cent of all businesses surveyed believed that a flexible workforce is vital or important to competitiveness and the prospects for business investment and job creation
This comes as the government also announces that it will be fulfilling another 2019 manifesto commitment to give unpaid carers who are balancing a job in addition to caring for a dependant with long-term needs one week’s unpaid leave, as a day one right.
The move is set to benefit millions of people; with figures suggesting that around 5 million people across the UK are providing unpaid care, with nearly half doing so while also working full-time or part-time.
Labour Markets Minister Paul Scully said, “Millions of people face the dual challenge of balancing full or part-time work with other responsibilities such as caring for loved ones.
“By introducing one week of additional leave for unpaid carers, we will give these unsung heroes greater flexibility to help them better manage their personal and working lives, while giving them greater access to the job market.”
The government response to the consultation on carer’s leave will confirm key elements of what the leave entitlement will look like:
* one working week of unpaid carer’s leave (per employee, per year) will be available as a day one right to those managing caring responsibilities for those with long-term care needs alongside work
* eligibility, both in terms of who the employee is caring for and how the leave can be used, will be broadly defined
* the leave will be available to take flexibly (from half-day blocks to a whole week)
* there will not be an extensive administrative process to ensure the legitimacy of requests to take Carer’s Leave as the leave is unpaid
The measure will also look to balance the needs of the employee with the employer, with a minimum notice period of twice the length of time being taken, plus one day (in line with annual leave notice periods).
Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss said, “As we move beyond the pandemic, we must seize the opportunity to make flexible working an option for everyone.
“No one should be held back in their career because of where they live, what house they can afford, or their responsibility to family.”
“I want everyone to have the same opportunities regardless of the background or location. This is the right thing to do for workers, families and our economy.
Employees with 26 weeks of continuous service have a right to request flexible working under existing legislation. An employer can currently reject a request for specified business reasons such as:
* extra costs that will be a burden on the business
* the work cannot be reorganised among other staff
* people cannot be recruited to do the work
* flexible working will negatively affect quality
* flexible working will negatively affect performance
* the business’ ability to meet customer demand will be negatively affected
* there’s a lack of work to do during the proposed working times
* the business is planning structural changes
Source: Gov.UK