Jump to: Flexible Working Requests | Employee Wellbeing | Reasonable Adjustments
Flexible working requests
What is flexible working?
Flexible working means adapting traditional work arrangements to give employees more control over when, where and how they work. Flexible working can include a number of different options such as flexible hours, part-time work, working from home and working compressed hours. What flexible working is - Statutory flexible working requests - Acas
Flexible working allows employees to much better balance their work and personal life.
Flexible working practices can include (but are not limited to):
- Part-time working: work is generally considered part-time when employees are contracted to work anything less than full time hours
- Term-time working: a worker remains on a permanent contract but can take paid/unpaid leave during school holidays
- Job-sharing: a form of part-time working where two (or occasionally more) people share the responsibility of a job between them
- Flexitime: allows employees to choose, within certain set limits, when to begin and end work
- Compressed hours: compressed working weeks (or fortnights) don't necessarily involve a reduction in the total number of hours or any extension in individual choices over which hours are worked. The central feature is a reallocation of work into fewer and longer blocks during the week
- Annual hours: the total number of hours to be worked over the year is fixed but there is variation over the year in the length of the working day/week
- Working remotely on a regular basis: employees work all of part of their working week at a location remote from the workplace
- Hybrid working: a combination of remote/home and workplace working
- Career breaks: extended periods of leave of up to 5 years or more
- Zero-hour contracts: an individual has no guarantee of a minimum number of working hours, so they can be called upon as and when required and paid just for the hours they work
Who can apply for flexible working?
All employees have the right to request flexible working and can do so from the first day of employment. Employees can make two applications for flexible working in any 12-month period.
What you must do as an employer
Employers must deal with requests in a ‘reasonable manner’. You cannot refuse a flexible working request unless you have a valid business reason for doing so. It would be considered best practice to have a discussion with the employee before making a decision. This could be to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the application, effect on workload and reasons for the application. You have a maximum of two months to respond to a flexible working request.
By law, as an employer you can only reject a request for flexible working if it's for one of more of the following business reasons:
- it will cost your business too much
- you cannot reorganise the work among other staff
- you cannot recruit more staff
- there will be a negative effect on quality of work
- there will be a negative effect on the business's ability to meet customer demand
- there will be a negative effect on performance
- there's not enough work for your employee to do when they've requested to work
- there are planned changes to the business, for example, you intend to reorganise or change the business and think the request will not fit with these plans
If you feel that one of these reasons apply, you must consult the employee before making a decision.
If you do choose to refuse a request, the employee must be offered the right to appeal the decision.
If you decide to accept a flexible working request, this should also be confirmed in writing and any contract amendments made if required.
A trial period can be a useful solution when the employer (or employee) has any concerns about how the new working pattern will work in practice. You would agree the length of the trial (usually no longer than six months) and then at the end of the period, hold a review to determine if the working pattern is to be made permanent or if you will be refusing. This allows both parties an opportunity to try out the new pattern before committing.
Once an employee has had a flexible working request approved, they cannot just choose to go back to their previous working pattern. Any future changes to their working pattern would need to follow the same flexible working application.
Employee Wellbeing
Employee wellbeing is the overall state of an employee's phyiscal, mental, social and workplace health. Promoting wellbeing can help prevent stress and create positive work environements for indiviudals to thrive.
- Physical - feeling healthy and safe at work
- Mental and emotional - feeling valued, respected and able to manage stress
- Social - having positive relationships with colleagues and a sense of belongings and teamwork
- Financial - feeling secure about pay, benefits and ability to manage personal finances
- Career - having opportunities to grow, learn and develop
What is an EAP?
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a confidential, employer-sponsored benefit designed to support staff with personal or work-related challenges. They often offer 24/7 access to professional, short-term counselling, advice and resources to help manage stress, mental health, financial issues, or legal difficulties, aiming to improve well-being and productivity.
More information on EAP's can be found on this useful Indeed Article.
Occupational Health
Occupational health (OH) is a specialised branch of healthcare focused on promoting and maintaining physical, mental and social well-being for employees.
Occupational health providers offer a range of services including;
- Preventative Care - identifying workplace hazards to prevent injury and illness
- Health Surveillance - Regular screenings to detect early signs of work-related ill health
- Return to Work Support - Advising on reasonable adjustments for employees returning to work after long-term sickness (more information on reasonable adjustments can be found further in this section of the toolkit)
- Confidential Advice - Providing independent guidance to improve health in the workplace
- Wellbeing Support - Services such as mental health support, stress management and health promotion
What drives wellbeing in a workplace?
Good communication - Clear communication helps employees understand priorities, reduce uncertainty and prevents avoidable stress. Effective communication at work can help to reduce stress therefore improving employees mental health.
Fair and manageable workloads - Managing workload proactively through planning, realistic deadlines and early conversations about capacity protects wellbeing and performance.
Supportive leadership - Line managers who listen, show empathy, give constructive feedback and respond to issues early help to create a culture where employees feel safe, valued and motivated.
Flexibility - Simple accomodations such as adjusting hours and being understanding of caring and personal commitments can significantly reduce stress and increase morale.
Recognition - Especially in a small team, recognition can feel very personal and meaningful. Acknowleding effort, celebrating wins and showing appreciation day-to-day helps moost motivation.
Employee Wellbeing support tools can be found in the links and templates at the bottom of this page
Making Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage relating to someones disability. Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities , or physical or mental health conditions are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs.
Reasonable adjustments can include:
- changing the recruitment process so a candidate can be considered for a role
- changes to the working environment such as allowing someone with anxiety disorder to have their own desk instead of hot-desking
- physical changes such as installing a ramp for a wheelchair user
- changing working hours for someone who struggles with fatigue in relation to their disability
- allowing employees who become disabled to make a phased return to work, including flexible hours or part-time working
More information on making reasonable adjustments can be found on Acas or the gov.uk website.
Reasonable Adjustments and Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is the concept that there is natural variation in how people's brains work, with no single 'correct' way, and that these should be accepted and encouraged. Autisim spectrum disorder, dyslexia and Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) all fall under the neurodiversity umberella.
Below are some links to resources when managing reasonable adjustments in relation to Neurodiversity.
National Autistic Society - What are reasonable adjustments and when can they be requested
Adjustments for neurodiversity - Reasonable adjustments at work - Acas
Access to Work
Access to Work is a government funded initiative which can help individuals to get or stay in work if they have physical or mental health conditions or disabilities. Access to Work can help with practical support such as specialist equipment and assistive software, phyiscal changes to your workplace and adaptaions to your vehicle so that you can get to work.