Flexible working countdown: 7 – What changes to working patterns might an employee request?

We continue to examine the new rules and important changes to the procedure for dealing with flexible working applications in the run-up to the introduction of new legislation with a look at the types of changes to working patterns that an employee might request.

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An employee can make a request to work: shorter hours; a shorter working week; flexitime; staggered or annualised hours; or part time. They can also seek permission to job share, self-roster or work from home. Any change agreed will be a permanent change to the employee’s terms and conditions of employment, unless a trial or temporary period is agreed.

For example, an employee who works 40 hours a week from Monday to Friday could ask to work a shorter working week, eg from Monday to Thursday. The employee may not be able to afford a reduction in his or her pay, so the employee might propose that he or she make up the shortfall in hours between Monday and Thursday.