Imelda Walsh, HR Director of J Sainsbury plc, was commissioned by the Government in November last year, to consider how the right to request flexible working should be extended to parents of older children. She published her report today.
At present, parents with a child under 6 (18 if disabled) and carers of adults, have a statutory right to make a request for flexible working and employers are obliged to consider such requests seriously and may only reject them for one or more of the business reasons provided for in the legislation.
Having considered 3 options extending the right to parents of children aged 12 or under; 16 or under; or 18 or under, respectively her recommendation is that the right be extended to parents of children age 16 or under. In addition, the extension is to be implemented in one go, rather than by way of a phased introduction.
The report indicates that 4.5m additional parents will be eligible for the right to request flexible working and a public consultation on the details of implementation is to be launched shortly.
You can view her report here: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46092.pdf
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