Reform of the right to request flexible working

Implementation date: Expected 2027

The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes provisions intended to "make flexible working the default". Under the Act, the grounds for refusing a statutory flexible working request will remain the same, but an employer will be able to refuse a request only if it is reasonable to do so. The employer will have to state why it considers its refusal to be reasonable.

In its Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update, the Government has said that these measures will take effect in 2027.