- New requirements for employers to consult with employees before they reject their flexible working request.
- Reduced waiting time for an employer to make a decision on a flexible working request from three months to two months.
- Permission for employees to make two statutory requests within a 12-month period (instead of the current one request).
- Removing the existing requirements for employees to specify what affect, if any, the change would have on the employer, and how that may be dealt with.
It hasn’t been explicit in the Act, but the government has stated that the ‘day-one right’ will also be implemented. This means that the right to flexible working will be an employee right from the start of their employment – there is no minimum length of service needed before an employee can make the request (the current requirement is 26 weeks of continuous service).