search.noResults

search.searching

saml.title
dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
BUSINESS HELPDESK HELP DESK


FUTURE FLEXIBILITY FOR ALL?


Following the government’s proposal for all employees to have the right to request flexible working from their first day of employment, Halborns, the employment lawyers behind the BMF Intelligent Employment Plus service, look at the implications of future flexibility for all.


UNDER CURRENT LAW,


employees may only make flexible working request after they have been employed continuously for 26 weeks by the same employer. However, under the latest government proposals, employees will no longer have to wait to make a flexible working request. Employers will be obliged to consider all requests from the first day of employment.


Employers will have less time to respond to flexible working requests. The current three-month time period is set to be reduced meaning they will need to provide a quicker response.


While employers will still have the right to turn down an employee’s request, they must provide an explanation and suggest an alternative work arrangement. Furthermore, any refusal is likely to need more robust, objective justification than the current reasons for rejecting a request.


The government is currently consulting on the proposed changes. You can have your say via an online survey at https:// beisgovuk.citizenspace.com/ lm/flexible-working/ until 1 December 2021.


What does this mean for builders merchants?


When we talk about flexibility, most minds jump to home-working. In an industry centred on meeting customers’ needs and expectations, this is largely an unworkable option (save for office-based employees). But, with the government proposals presenting the potential for an increase in requests to work flexibly (and shorter timeframe to


16 Taking a


proactive approach to flexibility before the government proposals come into effect will reduce the potential for headaches further down the line.”


manage them) we need to take a broader view of what can be accommodated:


This could be varying hours to start later or finish earlier, compressing hours into fewer working days, or working term- time only (to name a few). These are all viable options that may fit into your business model and


satisfy employees’ increasing flexibility expectations. A word of warning: if you adopt a ‘one size fits all’ policy to flexibility this can be detrimental to specific groups (such as those with childcare responsibilities), increasing the potential for challenge by employees, that may lead to a tribunal. A recent case highlights that employers are now expected to identify the ‘childcare disparity’ still faced by women and address that within their policies. You can find more details of this case at our website, www.halborns.com, by searching ‘childhood disparity’.


Steps to take


Taking a proactive approach to flexibility before the government proposals come into effect will reduce the potential for headaches further down the line. Here are a few suggestions of positive action to take right now.


Flexibility forum – you aren’t expected to have all the answers. Running a ‘flexibility forum’ enables


Find out how BMF


Intelligent Employment Plus can work for you. Call us on 0115 718 0333, email at info@halborns.com, or check out our website at www.halborns.com


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net November 2021


you to ask colleagues for their thoughts on tricky flexible working issues – how to ensure a fair approach that works for all, what happens if it works for some and not others and how much flexibility you should offer.


Trial periods – or a flexible approach to flexibility. Make it clear at the outset that your approach to flexible working is a learning and evolving process and that tweaks may need to be made along the way.


Clear communication – you’ll only know if your approach is working if you introduce a flexible working policy clearly and consistently. Write it down, communicate it, and then communicate it again.


Review – after a suitable trial period, come back to it, look at the metrics, analyse, and make adjustments as necessary. If you’re finding yourself in a flexible working fix, you don’t need to tackle it alone. BMF Intelligent Employment Plus provides user- friendly policies and robust templates to manage requests to work flexibly. On top of this, you’ll have access to unlimited advice from an industry-expert employment lawyer to help you navigate tricky issues and provide guidance in finding your future flexibility. BMJ


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48