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Flexible working rights extended
- Published: Friday, 3 April 2009
From 6 April, the right to request flexible working has been extended to employees with parental responsibility for children aged 16 and under. With this extension more than four million more parents will have the legal right to ask their employer for the right to work flexibly.
Flexible working for parents
Under current rules, people with the right to request flexible working include:
- parents with children under six
- parents with a disabled child under 18
At present more than six million people have the legal right to request flexible working. With the extension of this right, a further four and a half million employees will have the right to request flexible working.
Under the law your employer must seriously consider any application you make, and only reject it if there is a good business reason to do so. You have the right to ask for flexible working - not the right to have it. There will always be situations where employers simply can not accommodate a flexible working pattern.
Pat McFadden, the Employment Relations Minister, said: "This is about balancing work and family life. Both workers and employers have felt the benefits of flexible working since we first introduced the right to request.
"Fewer mothers change jobs when they return to work meaning greater continuity for businesses and more employees have been able to work hours which help them cope with parental responsibilities.
"Firms can still say no if they have legitimate business concerns, but more than 95 per cent of all requests for flexible working from working parents and carers are now accepted, as employers recognise the benefits more and more.
"Parenting doesn’t end as children get older. Extending the right to request will help more parents get the flexibility they need. The business benefits of flexible working are well documented and this remains the case in tougher economic times."
Employees who do not have the legal right to request flexible working are, of course, free to ask their employer if they can work flexibly. Many employers are willing to consider such requests.
More information on flexible working can be found by following the links below.
