Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Shared parental leaveMaternityDisciplineLatest NewsFlexible working

Top 10 HR questions January 2023: Flexible working requests

by Brightmine 1 Feb 2023
by Brightmine 1 Feb 2023 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

The government has committed to taking forward a number of reforms to the right to request flexible working.

Legislation to make amendments to the statutory right to request flexible working is currently making its way through Parliament, in the form of a Private Members’ Bill with government support.

The changes to be brought in by the Bill include allowing employees to make more than one request in a 12-month period, requiring the employer to consult the employee about their request and reducing the timeframe for making a decision.

The government has also said that it will introduce regulations to make the right to request flexible working a day-one right. This would mean employers would have to take flexible working into account at the recruitment stage, rather than only for existing employees with 26 weeks’ service.

Two FAQs in the top 10 look at the current rules for dealing with requests from existing employees.

The number one question for January looks at sickness absence reporting requirements and asks what an employer should do where an employee does not provide a fit note.

Another question on fit notes asks what happens if the employee wants to return earlier than the end of the period covered by the note.relx_copyright – This article is Brightmine content – Copyright 2024 LexisNexis Risk Solutions

The top 10 HR questions in January 2023:

1. What should an employer do if an employee is off sick for over a week but has not submitted a fit note?

2. Can an employer use a trial period to test whether a proposed flexible working arrangement would work?

3. Is it lawful to ask a job applicant if they require permission to work in the UK?

4. Can an employer invite an employee to attend a disciplinary hearing when they are on sick leave?

5. Do employees have a statutory right to time off for fertility treatment?

6. If an employee has been signed off work for a particular period, can the employer allow them to return early?

7. How does shared parental leave operate?

8. Can an employer withdraw from a flexible working agreement if the arrangements are no longer in its interests?

9. If an alternative but less well-paid position is offered to a redundant employee, must the employer maintain their current pay?

10. Where an employee is unable to take all their accrued statutory annual leave because they are on maternity leave, must they be allowed to carry it over?

relx_copyright – This article is Brightmine content – Copyright 2024 LexisNexis Risk Solutions


Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more human resources jobs

Brightmine

Brightmine is the UK's most comprehensive online source of legal compliance, good practice and benchmarking information made available to HR professionals as a single subscription service.

previous post
MPs vote through Strikes Bill
next post
EE offers days off in exchange for bank holiday working

You may also like

HSBC employees warned of office attendance link to...

22 May 2025

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

Four ways employers can reduce the risk of...

14 May 2025

Senior execs at BlackRock to work in office...

8 May 2025

Post-pandemic starters seek more pay for on-site working

10 Apr 2025

Fifth of flexible working requests denied one year...

7 Apr 2025

Employers struggling to manage rising levels of sickness...

7 Apr 2025

Remote working isn’t bad – it just needs...

1 Apr 2025

Hybrid workers less sick and less stressed

28 Mar 2025

Dog owners more likely to want to work...

24 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+