In 2019 and early 2020, both employers and employees had set views about flexible working. Some were of the view that it would increase productivity, whilst critics argued productivity would decrease and it would be difficult to implement. What was not predicted was a global pandemic to quickly put flexible and remote working to the test. If one thing is true the UK now has five months of experience of working “flexibly” and for many the negative expectation has not matched reality. The advent of the current Coronavirus pandemic disrupted the traditional office based workplace model, with businesses having to adapt to remote working within a matter of weeks. Now as the UK gradually eases restrictions many business and employees are embracing the new way of working and are loathe to return to the rigid structure of the old normal. Due to this, in the post-pandemic landscape we anticipate seeing a surge in flexible working requests from employees.

What are flexible working requests?
How do flexible working requests work?
How should flexible working requests be handled by an employer?
Are there any issues surrounding flexible working requests that employers should be aware of?

You can download the full article written by Katy Wedderburn and Meghan Jenkins here.