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Employment law update

New flexible working rights

From 6 April 2024, British employees have the legal right to request flexible working from day one in a new job – and employers must respond to requests within two months. 

This is good news for everyone. We’re proud to have played our part in campaigning for this new legislation – it’s paving the way for more inclusive and productive workplaces. The legal right to request flexible working will inspire more constructive conversations about the myriad forms of flexibility that can benefit people and business.

People professionals will play a key role in putting this new law into practice and our tools and resources will help employers everywhere embrace the benefits of more flexible working cultures. 

Flexible working

Good for people and business

Increase your
productivity

Tap into increased employee satisfaction, motivation and efficiency.

Diversify your
workforce

Tackle skills shortages by attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.

Make work work for
everyone

Create inclusive workplaces that are good for business and society.

Our #Flexfrom1st campaign

Our #Flexfrom1st campaign aimed to make access to flexible working arrangements more equal.

We encouraged employers to support flexible working for all and the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. We also called for change to UK law to make flexible working requests a day-one right for all employees (previous UK law stated employees could only request to work flexibly after 26 weeks of employment, with a limit of one request per 12 months).

While the COVID-19 pandemic saw huge increases in remote working, CIPD research found that 46% of UK employees did not have access to any form of flexible working in their current role, despite many different types of flexible working available. Those without access to flexible working were around twice as likely to be dissatisfied in their job, compared to those who do.

CIPD research also clearly identified the benefits of flexible working arrangements for employers and employees, from improved wellbeing and work–life balance to greater engagement and job performance.

Our glossary of flexible working terms explains what each type of flexible working arrangement means.

INFLUENCING PUBLIC POLICY

Celebrating
our success

The flexible working rights we and others campaigned for are now enshrined in law! We’re proud to have played our part in giving millions of employees a legal right to request flexible working from day one in a new job – the benefits of flexible working were too hard for policy makers to ignore. 

 

British workers get day-one right to request flexible working CIPD wins 'Best Lobbying Campaign'
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How we’re helping you make it happen

We’ve created a range of guidance and resources to help organisations embed the benefits of flexible working.

Flexible working fundamentals

Guidance, tools and resources to get you started

How to manage flexible working requests

A guide for employers and managers

Flowchart for managing flexible working requests made during recruitment

Managing requests during recruitment

How to request flexible working

A guide for employees

CIPD Trust

Tackling barriers to work today whilst creating inclusive workplaces of tomorrow.

Find out more

Influencing policy

Our public policy team champions better work and working lives by shaping public debate, government policy and legislation.

Meet our policy team

Explore our evidence base for flexible working

Report
Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2023

Our research explores employer and employee perspectives of flexible and hybrid working practices and asks whether organisations are doing enough to meet employee demand

CIPD Viewpoint
Flexible working uptake

Explore the CIPD’s point of view on flexible working, including recommendations for employers

Explore all our insights on flexible working