Employees who have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks (six months) have the legal right to request flexible working arrangements.

• When can a request be made?
  At any time. Employers have up to three months to respond.
  Employees can make one application per year.

• Employer responsibilities:
  Requests must be handled in a reasonable manner, which includes:

  • Assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the application

  • Holding a meeting to discuss the request

  • Offering an appeal process

• When can a request be refused?
  Employers can decline if there is a valid business reason, such as:

  • Extra costs that would harm the business

  • Work cannot be reorganised among existing staff

  • Recruitment challenges

  • Impact on quality or performance

  • Inability to meet customer demand

  • Lack of work during proposed hours

  • Planned workforce changes

For full guidance, click here

Employees have the right to take a ‘reasonable’ amount of time off work to deal with an emergency or unexpected situation involving a dependant.

Who is considered a dependant?

• A partner, child, or parent

• Someone living with you as part of your family

• Anyone who relies on you for help in an emergency

Important points:

• You must inform your employer as soon as possible after the emergency occurs.

• Employers can decide whether this time off is paid or unpaid.

• The law does not set a specific limit on how much time can be taken or how often – it simply states the amount should be reasonable.

For full guidance, click here

Employees who have worked for the same employer for 12 months and are responsible for a child under 18 are entitled to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child, which must be taken before the child’s 18th birthday.

Key points:

• Employees must give 21 days’ notice before the start date of parental leave.

• Employers can postpone parental leave if it would cause significant disruption to the business.

  • Postponement can be for up to 6 months after the requested date.

  • Employers must write to the employee within 7 days of the request to:

    • Explain why the leave is being postponed

    • Suggest alternative dates

• Employers cannot refuse or cancel parental leave entirely.

• Time off is unpaid, unless your employer offers paid leave as part of your contract.

For full guidance, click here

Employees have a statutory right to take up to one week of unpaid leave each year to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. This includes relatives or others who rely on the employee for care due to illness, disability, or old age. The leave can be taken flexibly in full or half days and is available from day one of employment. Employers cannot request evidence and must not penalise employees for using this entitlement, although leave can be postponed if granting it would cause serious disruption.

Carers who take statutory leave, such as Carer’s Leave or other family-related leave, have the right to return to the same job they held before their absence. This protection ensures job security and continuity, allowing employees to balance caring responsibilities without fear of losing their role. Employers should make sure policies and practices uphold this right.

Employees with caring responsibilities are protected under equality and employment law. Employers must ensure carers are not treated unfairly or discriminated against because of their caring role. This includes avoiding bias in recruitment, promotion, performance reviews, and day-to-day management. Creating an inclusive culture helps prevent discrimination and supports carers to thrive at work.