Acas Updates Code of Practice on Flexible Working

Following recent changes to the law and a consultation last year, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has updated its statutory Code of Practice on requests for flexible working, replacing the previous version published in June 2014.

From 6 April, employees have a…

Jun 12, 2024

From 6 April, employees have a right to request to work flexibly from the first day of their employment. Previously, employees only had this right once they had worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks.

The updated Code encourages employers to take a positive approach to working flexibly. Employers must handle every request for flexible working in a reasonable manner, and must agree to a request unless there is a genuine business reason not to. An employee must be consulted before their request is rejected.

It is important that employers ensure they comply with the Code, as any failure to do so can be taken into account by Employment Tribunals where relevant.

Acas also provides detailed guidance on flexible working requests to accompany the Code, including practical examples for employers and employees. The Code and the accompanying guidance can be found on Acas’s website.

Protected Acts, Detrimental Treatment and Victimisation – Guideline Ruling

It is your right to lodge Employment Tribunal (ET) proceedings if you feel that you have been mistreated at work and, whether you win or lose, you are also entitled to expect that you will not be detrimentally treated for doing so. That principle was very much to the fore in a guideline Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruling. The case concerned a black British IT worker who had twice in the past launched ET claims against his employer. He had raised serious allegations of race and disability…

Exposure to Toxic Substances at Work – Guideline Court of Appeal Ruling

Exposure to toxic substances at work is often cited as a possible cause of diseases developed later in life. However, as an important Court of Appeal ruling made plain, establishing the plausibility of such causal links may not, by itself, be enough to succeed in an occupational injury claim. The case concerned a man who developed Parkinson’s disease after working for an industrial employer for almost 40 years. After he launched a personal injury claim, a judge found that he had been exposed on…

Furlough Whistleblower Succeeds in Automatic Unfair Dismissal Claim

Employees are entitled to insist that their employers abide by their legal obligations and should never be penalised for doing so. The point was made by the case of a woman who pointed out that a meeting with her boss had extended beyond her agreed working hours under the COVID-19 furlough scheme. The sales manager was on part-time flexible furlough during the pandemic and, on most days, her agreed working hours were between 10am and 4pm. During a performance review meeting with her boss, she…