Employers and Flexible Working: What are the Current Challenges?
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)[1] has recently published the results of a YouGov poll of 1,015 senior business decision makers, which was conducted from 24 March to 2 April 2025.
The research follows the introduction of the day-one right to request flexible working, and further changes are anticipated under the pending Employment Rights Bill, which will also require employers to reject requests only on ‘reasonable’ grounds and to provide detailed explanations for any rejections. Notably, current polling shows that 89% of employers already feel confident in communicating these decisions.
The poll examined employer confidence in managing flexible working requests and highlighted the following key findings on how confident employers feel about each part of the flexible working request process:
High confidence areas:
- Consultation meetings: 90% of respondents felt confident
- Meeting statutory timeframes: 88% of respondents felt confident
- Overall, confidence levels were high (79–90%) across most aspects of handling flexible working requests
Areas of lower confidence:
- Handling appeals: 16% of employers reported low confidence
- Identifying disability-related reasonable adjustments: 10% of employers expressed low confidence
- Integrating flexible working arrangements into the workplace: 9% of employers indicated low confidence
Action Points for HR Leaders: Flexible Working Requests
In light of this, to assist those in HR roles and employers, we have created these action points in response to the updated ACAS Code of Practice and the changing landscape around flexible working in the UK:
| Area | Recommended Actions |
| Appeals | Build a clear appeal process with independent reviewers, and provide managers with scenario-based training. |
| Disability Requests | Train line managers to spot disability-related requests, champion disclosure, and coordinate with Equality Act responsibilities. |
| Operational Integration | Use team-impact assessments, establish regular check-in meetings, and actively capture feedback on workflow adjustments. |
| Statutory vs. Informal Policy | Clarify when informal arrangements are suitable, and ensure robust logging of both informal and formal agreements. |
| Policy Update | Revise policy templates and letter templates, making sure refusal letters meet new legal obligations. Utilise ACAS’ resources and helpline for support. |
[1] https://www.acas.org.uk/employers-and-flexible-working-what-are-the-current-challenges
