Responding to today’s consultation from BEIS on
the right to request flexible working, Morgan Bestwick, Policy
and Partnerships Officer for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:
“Flexible working is crucial for millions. Jobs at all levels and
in all industries need to be manageable around health needs,
having a family or caring responsibilities, and they need to
offer a reliable and realistic route out of poverty.
“It’s encouraging that the Government has listened to the many
workers who have been calling for change and is now consulting on
options. If coupled with legislation such as the promised
employment bill, extending flexible working rights could provide
a much-needed platform for working families and a real
opportunity for levelling up.
“Many employers reap the benefits of flexible working in terms of
retaining staff and productivity, but to make jobs work for
people in low paid and insecure roles, flexibility needs to be
about more than just working from home. Fitting in with
childcare, school hours and terms, compressing hours and giving
better notice of shifts are all mechanisms which will help some
working families, but there is no one size fits all.
“We can and should move to a position where flexible working is
normalised from the factory floor to the boardroom, with
opportunities for progression available to all, and where a right
to request becomes a true right available to all workers”.
“To make this a reality, Government should change the law so that
workers have a day one right to flexible working, not just the
right to request. While some arrangements won’t be feasible in
specific roles, a day one right to flexible work, with fair
business exemptions, would place the onus on employers to
consider the options available in any given role ahead of time,
and ensure workers can take these up from day one.”
