Overview
- At the Trade Unions Congress in Brighton on Saturday, First Secretary of State Louise Haigh announced that the government will require employers to show they have properly considered and explained any refusal of a request to work from home.
- The policy is a procedural tightening of the existing right to request flexible working rather than an automatic right to work remotely, and ministers acknowledged not every job can be done from home.
- The government says the reforms are expected to take effect in 2027 but detailed legislation, regulatory guidance and enforcement mechanisms have not yet been published.
- Under the current law employees can request flexible working from day one, can make up to two statutory requests in 12 months, must get a response within two months, and employers may refuse on eight specified business reasons.
- The Trades Union Congress welcomed the move as boosting workers’ voice and access to flexible hours while employers will need to change decision processes and record consultations to meet the new requirement.