More parents to get flexible working rights

The government has said that it is planning to extend the right to ask for flexible working to some 4.5 million parents.

The change to the regulations will mean that all parents with children under the age of 16 will have the right to request flexible working patterns.

At the moment the right only covers working parents with children who are under six years or are under 18 years and disabled, and employees who are carers.

Business Secretary, John Hutton said that he had accepted the recommendations made by Imelda Walsh, the HR director of Sainsbury’s, who has been conducting a review of the flexible working rules.

The government will now consult on implementing the proposals, which are due to come into effect in April 2009.

Mr Hutton said: “This is an excellent report that will give a big boost to busy parents who need more help balancing work and family life. It can also help employers who often find they get the best out of mums and dads when they allow them to work flexibly.

“It is important that employers retain control over deciding whether it suits their business allow people to work flexibly, but extending the right to request to parents of older children will allow families to take priority when decisions are made.”

About six million workers have the right to request flexible working at the moment, but it is estimated that over 14 million employees, including part-time workers, actually work flexibly.

Flexible working arrangements include working from home, part-time work, compressed hours, flexi-time or other arrangements agreed with employers.

Last year some nine out of ten requests to work flexibly were approved.

Imelda Walsh, who headed the independent review, said: “Support for more flexible and creative ways of working has made significant progress over the past 10 years, though both legislation and voluntary change. Continuing progress depends on both employers and employees believing that there is a fair balance.

“I am convinced that the challenges which parents with older children face are considerable, and that the arguments for raising the age to 16 are compelling. This change would offer an important opportunity for parents to have extra flexibility at key times in their children’s lives.”

The review proposed that any change should be implemented at once, rather than in stages, to avoid creating confusion for business and employees.

It also said that businesses would benefit from more information and guidance about dealing with flexible working requests, and that more should be done to raise awareness of the right to request flexible working among both employees and employers.

The plans have received a mixed reception from the business community.

The CBI’s director-general, Richard Lambert said: “The right to request flexible working has worked well because it is a ‘right to request’, not a ‘right to have’, enabling employers and employees to agree a practical arrangement that suits in nine out of ten cases.

“Based on this successful foundation, firms are up for making this extension work. But it is vital they have time to prepare staff, policies and practices. The extension should therefore come into effect no sooner than October 2009, not next April, as the process to make it law could easily run into the New Year.”

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, commented: “The review has made some sensible recommendations that, if accepted by government, will help to increase worker flexibility but be relatively light touch for employers.

“The benefits of allowing valued employees to work flexibly is widely recognised by business. Research conducted by the British Chambers of Commerce last year showed that over 90 per cent of businesses are already offering some form of flexibility to their staff.”

But Mr Frost warned that the government must acknowledge that not all businesses will be able to accommodate the new right in the same way: “Those businesses that do struggle should be encouraged and not condemned. The government should work with employers’ organisations to encourage and support those who will be concerned by a further extension.”

Some business groups expressed worries that the extension to flexible working, along with plans to give temporary workers the same entitlements and other benefits as permanent employees, would create problems for smaller employers.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that the proposed changes would make it more difficult for small firms to cover fragmented job posts.

Alan Tyrrell, the FSB’s employment chairman, commented: “The announcement puts small businesses in an impossible position. You can’t have an extension of flexible working and at the same time clamp down on the means by which many small businesses cope with it, which is often through temporary workers.

“The current flexible working regime seems to be working, but the government should be cautious about extending it too far, which could be damaging to small businesses and, as a result, the millions of people they employ. Bringing in a whole new set of complicated employment regulations for temporary workers on top of that could make the situation untenable for many small businesses.”