Flexible working
After the application
Employers must consider flexible working requests in a ‘reasonable manner’.
They must make a decision within 2 months of the request (or longer if agreed with the employee).
Read the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) code of practice on flexible working requests.
Agreeing the application
The employer should write to the employee with:
- a statement of the agreed changes
- a start date for flexible working
Acas has a flexible working request outcome template that employers can use.
The employer should also change the employee’s contract to include the new terms and conditions.
This should be done as soon as possible but no later than 28 days after the request was approved.
Refusing the application
The employer must tell the employee that they’ve refused the application.
Before refusing it, they must have discussed the employee’s request with them.
Reasons for refusing
Employers can refuse an application for any of the following reasons:
- extra costs that will damage the business
- the work cannot be reorganised among other staff
- people cannot be recruited to do the work
- flexible working will affect quality
- flexible working will affect performance
- the business will not be able to meet customer demand
- there’s a lack of work to do during the proposed working times
- the business is planning changes to the workforce
Acas has a flexible working request outcome template that employers can use.