Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Indeedy. But what’s wrong with knocking on the boss’s door and just asking? It really isn’t hard.

Having worked in HR previously, I have to say that this is a very straight forward matter which can be agreed if the request is feasible and confirmed in a letter.

No need to make heavy work of it.

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

It’s a contractual change/addendum requiring signatures from both parties.

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

That doesn’t mean you have to have the bureaucracy of formal procedures to request the change, though, does it?

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

If you’re changing a contract, yes. The request must be formally documented. It protects the business & the employee from a I said/they said situation.

More often than not, it’s not the immediate line manager that would make the decision anyways

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

If there’s no formal procedure/documentation, what happens when the manager moves on, and forgets to tell his successor about all the numerous informal agreements they’ve made?

Anyway, flexible working has to be equitable, so you can’t have some managers in a company deciding they’re not going to allow it (not for reasons based on business reasons, but they just don’t like the idea), and other managers allowing it because they believe it works; this would be disadvantaging some employees for no reason other than personal bias about flexible working.

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Now, we could really open a can of worms with compressed hours :D:D:D

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

And job-sharing… ;)

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

I have seen job sharing work very well in education.

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Never worked for large national or multi national companies then ?

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Can tell you haven't been in an office for a while OB. The boss doesn't have a door any longer ( or desk if you've got in early and nabbed it ! ;) )

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

I usually found a cosy chat at the Lyon's Corner House or over a chicken basket meal and a pint of Red Barrel at the Berni Inn does the trick. Call me old-fashioned. :)

Joking apart, open-plan offices may have been flavour of the month in the 21st century, but I wonder if Covid will alter that?

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Where did I say that the contractual change should not be in writing?

What I am arguing is that an employer really should not be legally required to have set procedures to process requests.

All that should be required is an employee request, manager agrees or not, and confirmation in writing. There is no need to make it more complicated than that.

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Can I ask - how long ago did you work in HR, and how big was the company/department?

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

looks like we're heading for a HR off - how big was yours blaa blaa blaa;)

Re: Staff to gain right to request flexible working from first day
 

Your input, as always, is appreciated.

Who would think that experience and knowledge of a situation would be useful in a discussion, when, like you, people can just use non-sequiturs and irrelevant comments.