If most firms already allow flexible work why add laws?

With regard to your story ‘CIPD dismay over government caution on right to request flexible working‘ (Personneltoday.com, 22 February), am I missing something here?

If nine out of 10 employers are already willing to consider changes to working patterns from any employee, then why is additional legislation needed? If the statistic is correct, then clearly an unregulated consensual reality exists within the majority of organisations.

I am concerned about the prospect of extending the right to request flexible working further, and the impact this would inevitably have on productivity where a full‑time post can become a part-time one.

In my experience flexible working requests invariably involve a request to work part‑time (ie, fewer hours).

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I remain to be convinced that this does not place an additional burden on an employer, as Sally Low points out. Why force legislation on the 10% of employers who do not necessarily believe there is a firm commercial case for flexible working?

Marcus Atkins
Personnel director,
Trailfinders