UK enshrining flexible-working rights

Britain's workplace culture could undergo a major change, with new government legislation set to be introduced entitling employees to request flexible working from the time they start a new job.

Current rules allow employees to make one such request every 12 months, but only after they have been in a job for 26 weeks. Employers have three months to reply, with broad grounds for rejection and no right of appeal.

The novel coronavirus pandemic saw millions of workers work from home, an arrangement that has continued for many as pandemic restrictions and conditions recede, so they have become used to it and now view flexibility as a priority when looking for new jobs. With many companies struggling to recruit or retain staff, it is becoming increasingly important for employers to be more employee-friendly.

Minister for Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said the decision was a "no-brainer".

"Giving staff more say over their working pattern makes for happier employees and more productive businesses," he explained.

A statement on the official website of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy explained that the move was in everyone's best interests.

"Flexible working has been found to help employees balance their work and home life, especially supporting those who have commitments or responsibilities such as caring for children or vulnerable people," it said.

"Alongside the clear benefits to employees, there is also a strong business case for flexible working. By removing some of the invisible restrictions to jobs, flexible working creates a more diverse working environment and workforce, which studies have shown leads to improved financial returns."

The decision marks a complete reversal of government policy after previous calls for workers to get back to their desks and traditional work practices.

In August 2020, when the pandemic was still in its early stages, then-prime minister Boris Johnson urged people to go back to their offices or risk losing their jobs, and in March 2021, he said in a radio interview that "people have had quite a few days off, and it wouldn't be a bad thing for people to see their way round to making a passing stab at getting back into the office."

He repeated the call again in October that year, saying it was particularly important for younger workers, and in April 2022 Cabinet Office Minister Jacob Rees Mogg wrote to government ministers urging them "to issue a clear message to civil servants in your department to ensure a rapid return to the office".

Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, told The Guardian newspaper that the proposal was a step in the right direction but urged decisions to be sped up.

The government needed "to go much further to ensure flexible work now becomes the norm", she added.

"Ministers must change the law so that every job advert makes clear what kind of flexible working is available in that role. And they should give workers the legal right to work flexibly from their first day in a job－not just the right to ask."