UK plans require employers to explain rejected homeworking requests in person

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UK homeworking request rules

Highlights

From next year, UK employers must meet employees in person to explain rejected flexible working requests under new government rules.
Trade unions support the policy as strengthening workers' rights, while urging government progression on guaranteed hours and vigilance on broader Employment Rights Act reforms.
Business leaders, including AO World's John Roberts, warn the new requirements may discourage offering roles or could incentivize offshoring to reduce costs.

Flexible working process set for tighter rules

As first reported by Financial Times, the UK government says employers who reject requests to work from home or change hours will have to meet employees in person, properly consider the request and explain the decision. The measure appears in the government's response to an earlier consultation on implementing the strengthened right to flexible working, which is due to come into force next year.

Louise Haigh tells the Trades Union Congress in Brighton that businesses cannot always approve requests for flexibility, but that every request should be taken seriously. The updated framework keeps employers' ability to refuse applications where there are legitimate business reasons, while requiring a more structured process with consultation and constructive engagement.

The reform builds on existing statutory rights instead of creating a blanket entitlement to flexible working. Ministers are presenting the change as part of a broader effort to reflect caring responsibilities and unpredictable family demands in the workplace.

Business and union reaction sharpens debate

Trade unions welcome the proposal as a step that gives workers a stronger voice and makes it harder for employers to dismiss requests without proper discussion. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak says flexible working is not just a perk for parents and carers, but a lifeline.

Some union officials, however, say the announcement is not unexpected because the government has already consulted on the policy. They are also pressing ministers to move ahead with more contentious parts of the Employment Rights Act, including a new right to guaranteed hours, and warn they remain alert to possible dilution of other measures.

Business leaders are voicing stronger concern about how far the policy could go in practice. John Roberts, chief executive of AO World, calls the approach "fantasyland economics" and argues that if employers are required to give serious consideration to full-time remote roles, some may reconsider whether to offer those jobs at all, especially if work can be done more cheaply abroad.

Our earlier coverage of the UK’s planned flexible working reforms explained that employers who want to refuse requests to work from home or change hours would need to follow a tougher process, including meeting the employee face to face and giving clear reasons. We also noted the split reaction: trade unions said the changes strengthen workers’ voice, while some business leaders warned the rules could discourage certain roles or push fully remote jobs overseas.

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