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Insights // 11 June 2018

New Report Suggests that Flexible Working Should be ‘a Given’ for Carers

Partner Sue Dowling, head of our Employment Law team, highlights a new report calling for flexible working to be more readily available to carers.

A new report published by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee on 17 May has called for greater flexibility to be given to carers by their employers and suggested that the Government should amend the Flexible Working Regulations 2014.

It is estimated that nearly 10% of the UK’s workforce, or three million individuals, are acting as carers. Employees are currently entitled to request flexible working if they have been worked for their employer for more than 26 weeks.

The Committee argued that this routinely forces employees to take annual leave or sick days in order to fulfil their role as carer. The report proposed changes giving employees a right to request flexible working from the date their employment commences.

The report also recommended that parental leave legislation be changed to allow up to five days of statutory paid leave to be taken at short notice.

Frank Field MP described carers as “a great untapped resource for our high-employment, low-productivity economy - and a sorely unrecognised one.”

For further information or legal advice, please contact law@blandy.co.uk or call 0118 951 6800. 

This article is intended for the use of clients and other interested parties. The information contained in it is believed to be correct at the date of publication, but it is necessarily of a brief and general nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific professional advice.

Sue Dowling

Sue Dowling

Partner, Employment Law & Venue Licensing

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