Over a quarter of workers say they will request flexible working, says survey

Over a quarter of British employees say they are likely to request flexible working arrangements once the new legislation comes into force, according to a YouGov survey.

The survey of 2,328 people was commissioned by Croner, which provides information and consultancy to HR, health and safety and business professionals.

It says 69% of the working population has never made a flexible working request. Of these workers, 13% cited financial implications as a reason for not requesting flexibility, while nearly a quarter (22%) said they did not think their request would be accepted.

Currently, only employees with children under 17 and those who have responsibilities as a carer have the right to request flexible working. The new law extends this right, and means that any employee (with 26 weeks’ service) will be able to apply to work flexibly. Indeed, the survey shows that 18-24 year-olds are the keenest age group to ask their employer (31%) and women are more likely to make the request (30%) than men (22%).

Richard Smith, Head of Employment Law at Croner says: “Changes to the law are not bad news for employers – they will receive some flexibility too. The new law replaces the statutory procedure for consideration of flexible working requests, with a duty on employers to deal with requests in a ‘reasonable’ manner. It does not give employees the right to working flexibly, but provides a right to request it. Employees can request a change to working hours, working time or working location once every 12 months.”

“For SMEs, flexible working will not be the easiest policy to implement, particularly if there is sudden rush of applicants this July. However, once the trust and change of mind set has been established the rewards of a flexible work force will become clear. For those companies who have never offered flexible working or understand this new legislation it may come as a shock. Bosses should also note that if there is a genuine business reason they can turn down requests, but they will need to prove that they have been considered fully and the process well documented.”

The survey also found that 27% of respondents whose businesses have offered flexible working believed that flexibility helped to increase productivity and 28% said it reduced sickness and absence. Meanwhile, 63% of respondents believed that flexible working created a better work life balance and 42% said it created higher staff morale.

Some 16% of respondents felt that flexible working could create tension in the workplace, rising to 19% of 45-54 year old workers.

Croner says the tension may be eased when the new legislation comes into effect, as the 45-54 year old age group who have traditionally been viewed as the ‘neglected middle’ will have the same opportunities to request flexible working as their colleagues. However, it adds that employers will still need to be mindful not to discriminate against employees on the basis of any protected characteristics and says they may wish to adopt a policy to regulate flexible working requests.

• Vote  
• 0
• 0
• You already voted!

• Tags:
• Flexible Working