Full Breakdown
Andy Burnham’s Government Proposes Tougher Rules on Work-From-Home Requests
By Drooid · · How we work
New Flexible-Working Reforms Unveiled
At the annual Trade Unions Congress (TUC) in Brighton, the government announced reforms to make it harder for employers to refuse flexible-working requests, including work-from-home. The proposals, slated for implementation in 2027, would require employers to demonstrate that they have “properly” considered each request before rejecting it.
Legal Framework and Existing Rights
Under current UK employment law, every employee has a statutory right to request flexible working from day one of employment (effective 2024). The request can cover changes to hours, start or finish times, days of work, or place of work. Employers may refuse only on one of eight defined business grounds, such as additional costs, inability to reorganise work, or a detrimental impact on performance or customer demand. Employees may submit up to two statutory requests in any 12-month period, and employers must respond within two months. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) notes that flexible-working arrangements can also be agreed informally, outside the statutory procedure. Workers with disabilities may request home working as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010.
Data & Statistics
A study led by King’s Business School analysed almost 13,000 performance assessments of roughly 5,300 employees in the UK and Germany during the second half of 2023. It found that employees described as working from home received lower promotion and rating scores, with the penalty increasing for those working three or four days a week remotely. In the UK, fathers and childless workers experienced the largest rating declines, while mothers were less affected because their office-based scores were already lower.
Why It Matters
Proponents argue that easier access to flexible working can boost productivity, improve retention, and benefit the economy. The reforms aim to address documented bias against remote workers and to ensure that employees with caring responsibilities or disabilities can obtain reasonable adjustments without undue obstruction.
Timeline
- 2024: Statutory right to request flexible working introduced for all employees from day one.
- 2027 (expected): New reforms requiring employers to substantively consider home-working requests come into force.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The announcements provide no detailed timetable for how the 2027 reforms will be legislated or enforced, and they do not specify mechanisms for monitoring employer compliance. While the King’s Business School study highlights persistent bias, the government has not outlined specific measures to counteract such discrimination beyond the procedural changes.
Verbatim Quotes
- “That is what putting power back into the hands of working people looks like. Life isn't always as neat as employers would like it to be. There's kids to pick up. Parents to look after. Families who rely on us at short notice. And sometimes, a little bit of flexibility can make all the difference.” — Daily Newsletter She