Flexible working will become the default, with employers required to provide reasonable grounds when refusing employee requests under strengthened day-one rights.
The Bill is proposing to make Flexible Working the default in workplaces – it is already a Day 1 right for employees from April 2024, and employees can put in such a request twice in any 12 month period.
However, the day one right of employees to request flexible working will be enhanced, in that the grounds for refusal (which will remain the same as at present 8 statutory reasons) must be reasonable and the employer will be required to specify why it is reasonable to reject. The main change will be the reasonableness test and there will be further consultation regarding this.
Employment Rights Bill information that's relevant to your sector
We've created one central hub for independent retailers to access key information on the Employment Rights Bill, set to be in force in summer 2025.
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