The Law on Flexible Working

1. What is Flexible Working?

Flexible working is any working pattern other than the normal working pattern - it can involve changes to the hours an employee works, the times they are required to work or their place of work.

1.1 There are a number of working practices that involve changes to the hours and times worked:

• A flexitime arrangement requires employees to be at work during a specified core period, but lets them otherwise arrange their hours to suit themselves.
• With compressed hours, employees work the same hours over fewer days.
• With annual hours contracts, employers and employees agree they will work a given number of hours during the year, but the pattern of work can vary from week to week.
• Staggered hours contracts let employees start and finish work at different times.
• Employees may also wish to take time off in lieu, unpaid sabbaticals or career breaks.
• You may be asked to consider time off for eligible employees to undertake training.

1.2 Employees may request a job-sharing arrangement.

• This is where one job is shared between two people, who might work alternate days, half weeks, or alternate weeks, or one person working in the morning and one in the afternoon.

1.3 Shift work, part-time and term-time work also count as flexible work, in that they involve variations to the normal pattern of working hours.

1.4 Flexible working may also involve changes in the location of the workplace, such as working from home.

• Employees may request to do some or all of their work from home. You will need to consider your health and safety obligations (see 4.3).