5.1. Introduction (Preview)

Flexible working arrangements can help employees maintain their work and life balance and can help employers improve the productivity and efficiency of their business.

Flexible working can be any working pattern other than the normal working pattern. Examples can involve changes to the hours an employee works, the times they are required to work or their place of work.

Flexible working options are not set in stone and employers and employees should think together creatively about how this could work for both parties. As long as employees are receiving their minimum entitlements, employers and employees can negotiate ways to make their workplace more flexible.

Employers and line managers have a crucial role to play in ensuring that members of their workforce are well supported and managed if they need to take time out in order to manage their caring responsibilities. We aim to give you practical advice on how to adapt policies into practice according to the specific needs of your staff and the business.

In this Topic we discuss the options for working co-operatively and the importance of open and honest communication.

If you are a working carer we have included in this section a template that you can use if you want to make a flexible working request. You will also find information on what you can do if your employer refuses your request.