UK to allow staff to request flexible working from first day of job

UK workers will be able to request flexible employment from the first day of a job under government plans announced.  Following the Covid epidemic, millions of primarily office employees have continued to work remotely for at least some of the week. According to new government plans to make flexible working the default, "millions of employees will be able to request flexible working from day one of their employment," a statement said.

"Flexible working" can refer to employees who use job-sharing, flextime, compressed, annualised, or staggered hours in addition to working from home and in the office.

Also Read | India reinstates e-visas for travellers from United Kingdom

A "raft of new initiatives will provide employees more access to flexibility over where, when, and how they work, resulting to happier, more productive workforce," the Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated.

The statement said, "Flexible working has been shown to assist employees manage their home and work lives, particularly aiding those who have obligations or duties like caring for children or vulnerable individuals."

Also Read | Russia President Vladimir Putin signs law expanding 'LGBTQ propaganda'; check details

While expressing her delight at the development, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady stated that the amendment "should provide people the legal right to work flexibly from the first day in a job — not merely the ability to ask."

In the meanwhile, greater flexibility may enable women to make more money. The gender wage gap is still the largest among the oldest workers in Britain, according to data released on Monday. When both genders are in their fifties, males make an average of 31% more money than women, according to Rest Less.

Also read: COVID was man-made virus, reveals former Wuhan lab scientist in a new book

• Conservative Party
• Covid
• Rishi Sunak
• United Kingdom
• employment
• flexible working