Only around half of employees in the UK say they have flexible working arrangements in place in their current role, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). But being able to work certain hours or to work from certain locations can help you fulfil caring responsibilities and achieve a better work-life balance, among other benefits.
Of all the different types of flexible working (and there are many, as we explore in the next section of this article), by far the most popular are flexible hours arrangements; 4.23million employees in the UK have this written into their contract, according to data from Statista. Annualised working hours contracts (where you work a set number of hours over the year but alter the hours you work each week) come in second (2.11million people have employment contracts that feature this) followed by term-time hours (1.3million people).
If you are unhappy with your current work arrangement, it may be possible for you to start working flexibly. Here is everything you need to know about alternative working arrangements and how to submit a flexible working request.
What is flexible working?
Flexible working includes more than just working from home. Other examples of flexible working arrangements are:
- A job share: divide a full-time role between two workers.
- Flexi-time: choose your preferred start and end time, while always working certain core hours – for example, 10am to 4pm.
- Staggered hours: workers start, finish and take lunch at different times to their colleagues
- Compressed hours: full-time hours spread across fewer days.
- Annualised hours: a set number of work hours required over the year, but with the discretion to choose when to work them. Like flexi-time, core hours may be required.
- Hybrid: allows employees to work both onsite and offsite when they see fit.
Other arrangements include asking to go part time, term-time working requests or phased retirement (where you reduce hours in a job before retiring).
What are the benefits of flexible working?
According to Timewise, 63% of full-time employees either work flexibly or say that they want to, and 93% of non-workers who want a job would prefer to work part-time or flexibly in a full-time role.
There are many reasons why flexible working is in high demand. Some employees may want to ditch their morning commute which can be stressful and expensive, others may want to relocate to another part of the country while working remotely.
Many parents request to work flexibly so they can accommodate childcare responsibilities. But parents and carers are not the only ones who can ask to work flexibly. Every employee has the right to request flexible working arrangements, and in April 2024 the rules around this changed so that you can make a request from day one of employment instead of waiting until 26 weeks have passed.
Mind, one of the UK’s leading mental health charities, believes that offering flexible work is an easy way for employers to support positive mental health. Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing, says:
“Flexible working is a way to have more control over how, where and when you work. Choosing your own working hours or being able to vary your start and finish time, is one example. Flexible working can also mean job sharing or regularly working from home.
“Excessive workload and poor work-life balance are both often cited as causes of stress and poor mental health at work. Flexible working gives people the opportunity to take control of their lives and take care of their health while working.”
Some studies also suggest that flexible working can be more productive. Of the companies that have introduced some homeworking into their permanent business model, 41% said that they did this because it increased productivity.
Overall, flexible workers are reported to have a higher job satisfaction than those who do not work flexibly, according to the CIPD.
Do I have the right to request flexible working?
Working from home was the default for office workers during the lockdowns, but since Covid restrictions were lifted last year, you may have been expected to return to work in-person.
Many companies have already introduced hybrid working models, but if your employer returned to 'normal' working arrangements, you may have to submit a flexible working request.
Danielle Parsons, Employment Partner at Irwin Mitchell, tells us: “The statutory rules around flexible working are that an employee with at least 26 weeks’ service has the right to make an application for flexible working in relation to things like how many hours they’re required to work, when they’re required to work and where they carry out that work - be that from your home, employer’s workplace or a mixture of the two.”
You do not have the statutory right to submit a flexible working request if:
- you are an agency worker (unless you are returning from parental leave)
- you have already submitted two requests in the last 12 months
- you are an employee shareholder (unless you’ve returned from parental leave in the last 14 days).
What if my request for flexible working is denied?
There are a limited number of reasons why an employer can deny your flexible working request. These include requests where agreeing means additional costs for the employer, where work cannot be re-organised among staff, or there are planned structural changes at the company.
Lawyer Danielle Parsons says: “If your flexible working request is denied, then you should be provided with a right of appeal. If your appeal is not successful, then you should seek legal advice and consider raising a grievance and/or bringing an Employment Tribunal claim.
“Where something happens at work that might give rise to a potential employment tribunal claim, you have three months less one day to take action on your potential legal claims. If you feel that you are being discriminated against or the decision taken to decline your flexible working request seems otherwise unfair to you, then you should seek legal advice immediately.”
Will working flexibly affect my rights and benefits?
According to Citizen’s Advice, working flexibly should not affect your statutory employment rights such as claiming unfair dismissal, maternity leave and minimum notice.
Your salary should be the same pro rata as before you started working flexibly. Pro rata means you are receiving the equivalent to your full-time salary but in proportion to your new hours — for example, if the full-time job is 35 hours a week and you work half the hours, you will receive half of the pay.
Citizen’s Advice advise that if your employer tries to change your terms and conditions for the worse after you start working flexibly, you may be able to make a claim at an employment tribunal as this could be classed as discrimination.
