From April 6th 2024, employees in the UK now have the legal right to request flexible working from the day they enter a new job.
Previously, the right was only applicable if someone had worked for their employer for 26 weeks or more.
The change has been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, because it “stands to benefit millions of people, helping them to balance their work and life commitments and give them more say and more opportunity in where and how they work”.
Other changes to employment law include new protections for pregnant employees from redundancy, and new entitlements for carers to take unpaid leave.
But what effect will it have on employers who now have a duty to consult with workers before they can refuse a flexible working request?
However, some of the reasons why a demand could be rejected include the arrangement costing the business too much, a negative effect on performance and the inability for the company to hire more team members.
Businesses have all sorts of costs to contend with, not least Business Rates, Staff overheads, and materials costs.
While business output in the UK has reached its highest level in nearly two years, indicating a turning point for the economy it is not out of the woods yet as costs continue to rise.
Cautious optimism may be in order, but keeping a close eye on the bottom line is still essential.
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