Government accepts flexible working recommendations

Business Secretary John Hutton accepted recommendations on 15 May 2008 to extend the right to request flexible working to parents of children up to age 16. The recommendations are the outcome of an independent review. The government will consult on implementing the proposals.

Around six million employees currently have the right to request flexible working (3.6 million parents and 2.65 million carers), but 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.

Key points from the review

• Any change should be implemented at once, rather than a staged introduction, to avoid creating confusion for business and employees.

• Business would benefit from increased information and guidance about dealing with flexible working requests.

• Flexible working should not be considered a 'women's issue'. 14 million employees currently working flexibly, and men make up 45 per cent of this figure. The increasing earning power of women also suggests that flexible working now, and in the future, is far from being an issue that affects only women.

• More work should be done to raise awareness of the right to request flexible working, both among employees and employers.

Next steps

The government will now consult on implementing the proposals, and we will update employers on this in future bulletins once more information is available.

Further information on working flexibly in the NHS is available in the healthy workplaces section of our website.

The review document can be viewed on the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website.