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Flexible working is not just a benefit for employees – it’s a key part of building a fair, resilient and productive business.

Taking a proactive approach to flexible working helps you attract and retain a wider range of people, including disabled women, and those with caring responsibilities, who are more likely to need flexibility to stay in work and progress. When flexible working is treated as standard practice rather than an exception, businesses are better able to respond to changing workforce needs and make the most of available skills and experience.

Businesses with fair and inclusive flexible working practices can benefit from:

• Improved recruitment and retention, by widening the pool of potential candidates and reducing turnover
• Reduced recruitment and training costs, through retaining skills, experience and organisational knowledge
• Improved wellbeing and productivity, as staff are better able to balance work with other responsibilities
• Greater commitment and engagement, when employees feel trusted and supported
• A stronger reputation as a good employer, helping you compete for talent and build customer confidence

Flexible working also plays an important role in tackling gender inequality at work, including the barriers faced by women with caring responsibilities and disabled women. Women continue to do the majority of unpaid care for children, disabled adults and older relatives, and are therefore more likely to need flexibility in hours, patterns or location to remain in work and progress. Disabled women may face additional barriers such as inaccessible workplaces, challenges around travel, or the need to manage fluctuating health conditions or attend medical appointments.

Flexible working – when done well – can help to prevent women being forced to reduce their hours, move into lower-paid roles, or leave work altogether, and supports action to narrow both the gender pay gap and the disability employment gap.

Flexible working is about more than reducing hours. It can relate to when work is done, where it is done, and how work is organised. Flexible arrangements can be formal or informal, and temporary or permanent, depending on what works for the business and the employee.

Different forms of flexibility will suit different roles and circumstances. Many businesses use a combination of approaches, rather than a single model.

Flexibility in working hours

This includes changes to the number of hours worked, or when those hours are worked, such as:

• part-time working
• job sharing
• flexi-time (with agreed core hours)
• compressed hours (for example, a four-day week or nine-day fortnight)
• staggered start and finish times
• term-time working
• time off in lieu (TOIL)

Flexibility in location

Where work is done can be just as important as when it is done. Options include:

• hybrid working, where time is split between home and the workplace
• regular or occasional home working
• full-time remote working, where the role is based away from a central workplace

Access to suitable technology and clear expectations about communication and availability are key to making location-based flexibility work well.

Flexibility in work patterns and job design

Flexibility can also involve changes to how work is organised, for example:

• adjusting tasks or responsibilities within a role
• redistributing work across a team
• shift working or shift swapping
• annualised hours to reflect fluctuating demand

Temporary and informal flexibility

Not all flexible working needs to be permanent or contractual. Short-term or informal arrangements can support employees through changes in their circumstances, such as caring responsibilities, health needs, or study, while still meeting business needs.

Being open to different forms of flexibility helps ensure flexible working is accessible to a wider range of people, and not limited to particular roles, working patterns, or groups of staff.

Flexible working works best when it is built into how roles are designed, rather than considered only after a request is made. Assuming that roles can be done flexibly – unless there is a clear business reason why not – helps widen access to work and progression.

Considering flexibility in existing roles

In practice, most flexible working requests relate to existing roles. When considering whether a particular job can be done flexibly, it’s important to take a structured and objective approach, rather than relying on assumptions or previous practice.

When reviewing an existing role, consider:

• which parts of the role are time-critical or location-dependent, and which are not
• whether changes to hours, patterns or location would genuinely affect service delivery
• whether flexibility could work with adjustments to tasks, rotas, or team working
• whether a trial period could help test a new arrangement

Decisions should be based on clear business needs, not on who is making the request, how long they have worked in the role, or assumptions about commitment or availability.

Taking a consistent approach to assessing roles helps reduce bias, supports fair decision-making, and ensures flexible working is not limited to particular teams, grades, or groups of staff.

Designing flexibility in new roles

No roles should be automatically ruled out as unsuitable for flexible working. Many businesses successfully operate senior, customer-facing and frontline roles on a flexible basis, including through part-time working, job sharing, compressed hours, or hybrid arrangements.

When designing roles, consider:

• what needs to be done, not when or where it has always been done
• whether tasks can be reorganised, shared or prioritised differently
• how technology or different working patterns could support flexibility
• whether flexibility could be offered from the point of recruitment, rather than negotiated later

Designing roles in this way helps avoid informal or ad-hoc decision-making, which can disadvantage women, particularly those with caring responsibilities or working part-time.

Flexible by default recruitment

Advertising roles as flexible by default, wherever possible, helps attract a wider and more diverse pool of candidates. This includes being clear about the types of flexibility that may be available, such as part-time hours, job sharing, or hybrid working.

All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. This includes requests relating to hours, times, and place of work, and can cover different working patterns, such as part-time, compressed hours, hybrid or remote working.

Employees can make up to two statutory flexible working requests in any 12-month period. They do not need to explain or justify their request in business terms.

As an employer, you must:

• Deal with requests in a reasonable manner
• Consult with the employee before refusing a request
• Make a decision within two months of receiving the request (unless you agree an extension)

Any change agreed through a statutory flexible working request will usually be permanent, although temporary/informal arrangements or trial periods can be agreed where appropriate.

When can a request be refused?

You are not required to agree to a flexible working request if there are clear business reasons for refusing it. The law sets out specific grounds for refusal, including:

• it will cost too much
• an inability to reorganise work among existing staff
• an inability to recruit additional staff
• a detrimental impact on quality or performance
• a detrimental effect on your ability to meet customer demand
• insufficient work during the periods the employee proposes to work
• planned structural changes that mean the request won’t work

If a request is refused, the decision should be based on accurate facts, clearly explained to the employee, and the employee must be given the right to appeal. An appeal does not count as a second flexible working request in the relevant 12-month period.

For more detailed guidance on handling requests, see Acas guidance on flexible working.

How you handle flexible working requests matters as much as the outcome. A fair, consistent approach helps ensure flexibility works for both your business and your people, and reduces the risk of bias or unequal treatment.

When an employee makes a request, you should:

• Discuss the request openly and constructively, exploring what the employee needs and what might work in practice
• Consider a range of options, including alternative arrangements if the original request cannot be accommodated
• Avoid assumptions about commitment, performance, or availability based on caring responsibilities, working hours, or location
• Base decisions on the role and business needs, not on who is making the request

You are required to consult with the employee before refusing a request. This is an opportunity to problem-solve together, rather than a tick-box exercise.

Using trial periods and alternatives

Trial periods can be a helpful way to test new arrangements, particularly if you are unsure how a change will affect service delivery or team working. Agree in advance:

• how long the trial will last
• how it will be reviewed
• what success looks like for both sides

If a request cannot be agreed, you should clearly explain the reasons, using accurate and relevant facts, and offer the employee the right to appeal.

Ensuring consistency and fairness

Line managers often play a key role in flexible working decisions. To support fair outcomes, you should:

• ensure managers are confident in handling requests and understand their legal responsibilities
• apply the same approach across teams and roles
• keep a record of requests and decisions, including who is requesting flexibility and whether requests are agreed

Monitoring requests by gender and other characteristics like disability, team, department, and type can help you identify barriers, inconsistencies, or unintended bias, and improve practice over time.

Aisha works as a data analyst in a small consultancy. She has recently been diagnosed as autistic and finds the office environment challenging, particularly noise, interruptions and long commutes during peak times. Although her role can largely be done independently, Aisha had always worked standard office hours on site.

After discussing her needs with her manager, Aisha makes a flexible working request to work from home three days a week, with slightly earlier start and finish times on office days. She explains that this would help her manage sensory overload, reduce fatigue, and maintain consistent productivity.

The business considers the request and consults with Aisha about how the arrangement would work in practice. Together, they agree clear expectations around availability, communication, and team meetings. A three-month trial period is put in place to test the arrangement.

The trial shows no negative impact on performance or service delivery. Aisha reports improved wellbeing and concentration, and her manager notes that her output and engagement have improved. The arrangement is agreed on a permanent basis.

By approaching the request as a reasonable adjustment and focusing on what the role requires rather than where it is done, the business retains a skilled employee and improves inclusion.

Emma works as a supervisor in a retail business and is returning to work after maternity leave. Her role has traditionally been full-time, with variable shifts across the week. Emma’s child has recently started nursery, which operates set opening and closing times.

Emma makes a flexible working request to reduce her hours slightly and work a more predictable shift pattern that allows her to do nursery drop-off and pick-up. She explains that without some flexibility, she may need to step down from her role or reduce her hours further.

The business meets with Emma to explore options, including alternative shift patterns and redistributing some supervisory tasks across the team. They agree a revised rota that gives Emma consistent start and finish times on most days, with occasional flexibility during busier periods.

The arrangement allows Emma to remain in her supervisory role while balancing childcare. The business retains an experienced member of staff, avoids recruitment costs, and demonstrates a commitment to supporting employees returning from maternity leave.

By offering flexibility at a point of transition, the business supports retention and progression, rather than losing skills and experience.

Close the Gap

Flexible working guidance

Acas

• Guide on flexible working
• Flexible working policy sample