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How to Ask Your Employer for Flexible Working Arrangements

Employees in Great Britain can request flexible working from their first day. Here’s what to include in a written request and what to expect next.

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In Great Britain—England, Scotland and Wales—employees can make a statutory flexible-working request from their first day in a job. Put it in an email or letter, or use the GOV.UK form. Say what change you want, when you want it to begin, and whether you have made an earlier application. Make the proposal specific enough to discuss how the work would operate.

What you can request—and who can apply

A statutory request can ask to change your hours, the times you work, or your place of work. Examples include part-time hours, homeworking and a hybrid pattern. Parents and carers use the same procedure as other employees; you do not need to be a parent or carer to apply. GOV.UK’s flexible-working guidance says the statutory right applies to employees. Acas notes that agency workers, casual workers and zero-hours workers are not likely to be employees, so employment status may matter.

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This procedure covers Great Britain only. GOV.UK says flexible-working rules differ in Northern Ireland; check the relevant Northern Ireland guidance rather than assuming the process below applies there.

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How to make the request

  1. Check your workplace policy. It may identify the person or channel for requests. You can write by email or letter, or use the GOV.UK flexible-working request form.
  2. Date and identify it as statutory. Include the date and state clearly that you are making a statutory request for flexible working.
  3. Describe the arrangement. Specify the change you want to hours, working times and/or work location. Include days, start and finish times, and location where relevant.
  4. Give a proposed start date. State when you would like the new arrangement to begin.
  5. Address earlier applications. Say whether you have made a previous flexible-working application and, if so, when.
  6. Keep a copy. Save the email or letter and note when you sent it.

Those are the application details listed by GOV.UK. You do not have to give a personal reason in the statutory application requirements. If you want to explain your circumstances, you can do so in the request or in discussion; it is not a required disclosure.

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Make the proposal practical to discuss

Before sending it, consider how the requested pattern would work day to day. This is useful preparation, not an additional statutory form requirement. Explain, where relevant, how you expect to handle work, meetings, service needs, handovers or cover. If another pattern might also meet your needs, you can invite your employer to discuss it.

  • Hours and commitment: how many hours you propose to work.
  • Timing: which days, and the proposed start and finish times.
  • Location: where you would work, and on which days if the arrangement is hybrid.
  • Work arrangements: any likely effect on coordination, handovers, service or cover.
  • Alternatives: another workable pattern you would consider, if you have one.

There is no single arrangement that suits every job. Focus on the change you need and the practical details your employer will need to consider.

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Example wording

Adapt this outline to your circumstances and any workplace policy; it is not a prescribed legal form.

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[Date]

Dear [manager or designated contact],

I am making a statutory request for flexible working. I would like to change my working pattern to [set out the proposed hours, days, times and/or work location]. I would like this change to start on [date].

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[State whether you have made a previous flexible-working application and, if so, when.]

[Briefly explain how you expect work, meetings, handovers or cover to operate under the proposed pattern, if useful.] I would be happy to discuss this request and any practical alternatives.

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What happens after you send it

Your employer must discuss a statutory request with you before refusing it. The Acas statutory Code says requests should be handled reasonably and promptly. If you reasonably ask to be accompanied to a discussion meeting, you should be allowed to bring a fellow worker, a trade union representative or an official employed by a trade union. See the Acas Code of Practice on flexible-working requests.

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The usual decision period is two months from the date of the request, unless you agree to a longer period. If your employer accepts the request, the relevant terms and conditions in your contract must change. If it refuses, it must give a business reason. GOV.UK explains the application and decision process.

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Statutory and informal requests

An employee can make two statutory applications in any 12-month period. You can also ask informally outside the statutory procedure; Acas says a similar fair process can help, but an informal request is not the same as a statutory application. The revised Acas Code applies from 6 April 2024.

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