New UK government proposals will give parents the right to request flexible working. From April 2003, employers must seriously consider requests to work child-friendly hours from parents of children aged under six, and must demonstrate a clear business case for rejecting any such requests.
Gary Bowker, employment law consultant at William M Mercer, comments: “Employers can no longer sweep flexible working issues under the carpet. They will now need to start giving serious thought to developing family-friendly policies which will meet the needs of their business and their staff.”
He added: “While the right to demand flexible working may, to some extent, lack teeth, the Sex Discrimination Act continues to offer an alternative route for women who can prove indirect sex discrimination. Recent tribunal cases have come down in favour of women seeking family-friendly working hours on this basis.
