Your boss will now have to look you in the eye when they say no to this divisive request

Bosses might be more inclined to accept your requests now (Picture: Getty Images)

There’s nothing worse than plucking up the courage to go to your boss and ask for a more flexible working arrangement, only to be denied via a short, generic email.

About 1.1 million workers left their jobs in a single year in the UK, because their company didn’t accommodate these requests, according to the CIPD.

But now, bosses will no longer be able to hide behind a screen when denying your WFH requests.

Under new workers’ rights, employers will have to sit down in a face-to-face meeting with workers who request flexible working arrangements, like remote working or shift changes, to justify their reasons for refusing it.

Speaking to trade union representations at the TUC conference, Louise Haigh, the first secretary of state, said: ‘If an employer wants to turn down a request they will have to sit down with their employee, properly consider it and explain why.

‘Life isn’t always as neat as we’d like it to be or as employers would like it to be. There’s kids to pick up, parents to look after, families who rely on us at short notice.

If you’re having a face-to-face meeting it gives you a chance to plead your case (Picture: Getty Images)

‘And sometimes a little bit of flexibility can make all the difference. Now I know that businesses have to make things work too. Not every job can be done from home and not every request can be agreed.

But every request can be taken seriously. So today I can announce that we will strengthen the right to flexible working.’

For the past two years employees have had the legal right to request flexible working arrangements from their first day in a new job, lowering from the previous 26 week threshold.

Will your flexible working request be more likely to be approved?

And, while bosses have had to consider the request in a ‘reasonable manner’, the new developments could lead to more requests being approved.

‘The requirement to have a face-to-face meeting will almost certainly increase approval rates, but not necessarily for the right reasons,’ employee relations expert at HR consultants Hamilton Nash, Jim Moore, tells Metro.

‘Many requests are likely to get approved just because bosses want to avoid the awkward situation of having to say no to someone’s face. And that’s not a good outcome for businesses. 

‘But, the requirement will also force managers to think more carefully about their decisions, and having to explain the business reason for a refusal should create more accountability.’

The demand for flexible working is there. About 35% of the working population say they work from home some of the time, while 72% said they wished they could WFH ‘at least’ some of the time.

But, according to the same YouGov survey, nearly a fifth of employees say they’ve had their flexible working allowances reduced in the last two years.

Some employers have become slightly more suspicious of certain workers who have WFH after a select few have found ways to fake their work.

‘Key jammers’ are one of the groups of people who put an object on their keyboard that’s heavy enough to press down the spacebar, to make it appear like they’re working. This is because many are monitored on their work laptop when they WFH via MS Teams, which shows an ‘inactive’ label after five minutes of idling.

Bosses will have to ensure the grounds for refusing the request is legitimate (Picture: Getty Images)

Those are a small minority though, and there are many groups in the UK who desperately need flexible working arrangements.

‘For working parents, carers and those with health conditions, this is a positive move, as these are the employees who bear the brunt of inflexible working practices,’ Jim explains.

What can you say in this face-to-face meeting?

Jim explains that these new law changes ‘tighten up the rules’ meaning employers will have to seriously consider the ‘limited grounds’ they have for refusing a request.

But, if you find yourself in a face-to-face meeting after your request is rejected, you can use this time to state your case once again.

‘Employees have the right to make their case in these meetings, so they can explain why flexibility matters to them and challenge any pushback,’ Jim explains.

‘If an employee is reasonable and the manager’s refusal is unfair, there will be evidence that can be used later in any tribunal.’

The HR expert also has some advice for the bosses who will be affected by these new rules.

‘Managers should work with their HR advisors to ensure any refusals have robust business justifications,’ he explains.

‘It’s well worth employers trying to agree to flexible working requests if the business can accommodate them, as it allows you to retain skills rather than risk losing them.

‘I’d recommend a trial period to test out a flexible working arrangement before making it permanent.’

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