Since the pandemic, more and more people are looking at their work/life balance. There has been a rise in requests for people who want to work fewer hours or compressed weeks as they look to spend less time at work and more time at leisure with their family and friends. If this sounds like something you’ve been considering, you are probably wondering how does flexible working work? I’ve put together a bit of a guide on what flexible working is and how you can approach this with your employer. If you are looking for additional HR support or advice for more challenging situations for either yourself or your workplace, you could consider using the services of employment solicitors, like Atkins Dellow to assist you.
How Does Flexible Working Work?
This is a collaborative post
But first, let’s dive in and look more into flexible working and what it could mean for you.
What Is Flexible Working?
In a nutshell, flexible working is where an employee works hours that are outside of the old, traditional norm of 9 – 5, Monday to Friday. Flexible working can have many forms. It could be a role which is reduced to part-time hours or perhaps a job share, where two or more employees fulfil a role which would have been typically handled by one. It could even be an employee working a much longer day to incorporate a four-day week – this is known as a compressed week. It might even be a split day which helps an employee manage childcare. Flexible working could incorporate an element of home-working as well. Flexible working is all about empowering an employee to put forward a solution that suits them and the company they work for.
Who Is Flexible Working For?
Flexible working is for everyone. It’s not a given right that your employer has to grant your flexible working request, but you have the option of putting in a flexible working request once you have been at a company for at least 26 weeks. You can only put in one flexible working request per year, so think wisely if you do. Make sure your request works for you and your employer and that way you have the best shot at making your request turn into your normal working pattern.
Typically people think that flexible working requests are just for parents. That’s not the case. It is open to everyone and you don’t actually need to give a reason why you’d like to request different working hours. Often it is granted to parents returning to work after a period of maternity or paternity leave as many people’s priorities change once they have children.
How Do I Request Flexible Working?
There’s a standard structure you should follow when you put in a request for flexible working. You’ll need to do this in writing to your employer and make sure it is dated. This will help them understand if you are eligible for requesting this in the first place. You’ll need to detail what change you would like to make to your working pattern. It’s important to consider what impact your request would have on the business and to have some points on how this impact could be minimised. It’s quite simple but requires a bit of thought beforehand. Once you have put your request in, generally your employer should give you a decision within three months. So if you feel a more flexible approach to your working hours would suit you and your family then it might be time to consider if flexible working would work for your position at work and your employer. Good luck!