Employers should monitor how many staff take advantage of the new right for
parents to request flexible working, according to employment experts The Work
Foundation.
The right, intended to help parents combine their work and home
responsibilities, gives parents of children under six or disabled children
under 18 the right to request to work flexibly.
Alexandra Jones, policy specialist at The Work Foundation, warned that if
companies rely on individuals to take the initiative to request flexible
working, there is a risk that only a few will take advantage of the policies.
"Valued employees with specialist skills may be confident about
approaching managers and building a business case for changes to their working
patterns, but many individuals will not feel able to do so," she said.
