The independent review, which was conducted by Imelda Walsh, HR director of Sainsburys, recommends that the right to request flexible working is extended to those with parental responsibility for children up to the age of 16.
Imelda Walsh also recommends that the extension of the right should not be phased in, but implemented in one go.
The government has accepted these recommendations and will be consulting on how to implement the proposals.
The review focused on how the current right to request flexible working should be extended to parents of older children and how quickly this change should be introduced.
Key findings of Imelda Walsh's review are:-
- The right to request flexible working is extended to those with parental responsibility for children up to the age of 16 (currently, up to the age of 6).
- The extension of the right should be implemented in one go, rather than phased in.
In her review, Ms Walsh also noted:
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The importance of Government support for business in introducing this right.
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The lack of awareness of the right, especially amongst carers of adults.
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The value of trial periods of flexible working to enable the parties to assess a working pattern to see if it meets both their needs.
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The importance of temporary periods of flexible working, as it is not always necessary to make a permanent change to an employee's terms.
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The fact that men are nearly twice as likely to have their requests refused.
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The current requirement of 26 weeks’ continuous employment should be maintained.
Going forward
The government has accepted these recommendations and will be consulting on how to implement the proposals. EEF has urged the government to give employers more time to adapt to the current legislation before extending it further.