From the 30th June 2014 all employees with 26 weeks service at the time of the application will have the right to request flexible working.
Under the Children and Families Act the existing statutory procedure is to be replaced by a duty to deal with flexible working requests in a reasonable manner. Employers will have to follow some form of procedure similar to the current one. The ACAS Code of Practice suggests meeting the employee, giving a written decision and a right of appeal. They suggest the process from application to final decision including any appeal should be completed in 3 months.
Please make sure any policies that you may have in relation to flexible working are amended accordingly. If you would like some assistance, please get in touch so we can recommend a suitable advisor for you.
