ACAS Draft Code Issued On The Forthcoming Extension To Flexible Working Provisions

The right to request flexible work is currently limited to employees with responsibility for children, and employees who care for certain adults. Next month, a Bill giving all qualifying employees the right to make a flexible working request will gain Royal Assent. The government had initially proposed to bring in the new provisions in April 2014, but this has now been delayed until a date expected to be later in the year.

The new right for all employees

The Bill proposes to:

•  extend the right to request flexible working to all employees;
•  maintain the 26 week qualifying period of employment;
•  keep the restriction of only one request in any 12 month period;
•  scrap the statutory procedure for dealing with a request for flexible working;