Under the bill, workers will have the right to request flexible working from day one of a new job, with employers required to consider any requests and provide a reason before rejection.

This follows a wave of wins for workers after a record National Minimum Wage uplift and boosts to employment protections for parents and unpaid carers.

The Act will require employers to consider and discuss any requests made by their employee – who will have the right to two requests a year – within two months of a request, down from three.

“Flexible working is a broad term and can relate to working hours or pattern including part-time, term-time, flexi-time, compressed hours or adjusting start and finish times. It can also include flexibility over where someone works, whether that be from home or a satellite office shortening their commute,” a government statement said.

As well as clear benefits to workers, the measures are seen to also be good for British business. Research shows companies that embrace flexible working can attract more talent, improve staff motivation and reduce staff turnover – boosting their business’s productivity and competitiveness.

CIPD research shows that 6% of employees changed jobs last year specifically due to a lack of flexible options and 12% left their profession altogether due to a lack of flexibility within their sector. This represents almost 2m and 4m workers respectively.

Once in force, workers will benefit from the following new protections:

• New requirements for employers to consult with the employee before rejecting their flexible working request.
• Permission to make two statutory requests in any 12-month period (rather than the current one request).
• Reduced waiting times for decisions to be made (within which an employer administers the statutory request) from three months to two months.
• The removal of existing requirements that the employee must explain what effect, if any, the change applied for would have on the employer and how that effect might be dealt with.

The government also this week launched a call for evidence on non-statutory flexible working to improve on knowledge of the extent of flexibility in the labour market. The aim is to increase understanding of the role of informal flexible working in meeting the needs of both employers and employees.

In response to this legislation, Acas will be updating its statutory Code of Practice following a consultation, which was launched on 12 July. The aim of the Code is to provide employers, employees and representatives with a clear explanation of the law on the statutory right to request flexible working, alongside good practice advice on handling requests in a reasonable manner.

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