Government ministers have published a report allowing workers to request flexible working arrangements immediately after starting a new position.

In the last 18 months, millions of us have been working from home but the proportion of the workforce allowed to work flexibly has remained stagnant. Previously employees have had to wait six months before submitting a request and employers have been expected to deal with this without any unreasonable delays.

Even if the government introduce tighter timescales for responding to requests, it shouldn’t have a significant impact on existing practices as employers should already be familiar with the process and its requirements

Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director said: “Whilst the introduction of flexible working as a day-1 right might change the timescales for making requests and could see an increase in the number of new staff making a request, the underlying principles will still remain the same.

“However, employers should make sure they are prepared to manage requests in line with the time requirements and have the resources available to achieve this. This might involve training managers and reviewing current contracts and policies. The government have begun their consultation which is set to run until the beginning of December 2021. We await the outcome of this to see if any legislative changes will be confirmed.

“Employers don’t automatically have to accept employees’ requests for flexible working. They can decline requests if it is not a viable option for the company, as long as they give one of the 8 prescribed reasons for refusing.

“Some employers are keen to embrace remote working or compressed hours to afford their staff a better work-life balance whilst saving on costly office space expenses. Similarly, employees are reducing their outgoings on commuting and will appreciate having employers who support their lifestyles and person circumstances.”