Contents

  1. 1. How to write a flexible working hours confirmation letter

Flexible Working Hours Template

June 28, 2021With the pandemic forcing more people to work from home, employers are becoming increasingly flexible when it comes to their staff doing their jobs.While some experts predict that there will be a return to the traditional five-day office week eventually, commercial property developers have seen a shift towards a more hybrid way of working, with homeworking rates on the rise. Thanks to remote computer access, staff can now connect to their work network from home around the clock – meaning it isn’t always necessary to work the traditional 9am to 5pm office hours.Many employees are now opting for flexible working so they can fit work around their personal lives. Flexible working arrangements make it easier for employees to arrange childcare or make a doctor’s appointment, for example.With that in mind, we’ve created this handy guide to help you explain things to any of your employees who are considering applying for flexible working. We’ve also included a template letter that you can download so you can start putting the request into place.

How to write a flexible working hours confirmation letter

When approving a flexible working hours request, it’s important to clearly outline how an employee’s job role has changed, whether it’s an adjustment to their working days or hours, allowing remote working, job sharing certain roles or self-rostering so that shifts can match an employee’s preferred times as closely as possible.Flexible working not only benefits employees but founders too, as it encourages staff morale and allows employees to be more productive as they’re working to a schedule that suits them.We’ve explained the ins and outs of flexible working below, so you can be equipped with all the necessary information should your employees ask for it.

What counts as flexible working?

If an employee wants to change their normal work pattern, they can apply for flexible working. We’ve listed some examples of some typical flexible work requests below.
    Reducing hours from full-time to part-time – In some cases, it’s possible for an employee who’s normally contracted to work a full week to reduce their hours. You should make it clear to your staff which posts are suitable for part-time working.Changing their hours – Employees may wish to change their hours in a number of different ways. They might want to swap from working weekdays to weekends, have time off in lieu, work shifts or change their work schedule to fit in with school hours or childcare arrangements. You could even consider allowing your staff to self-roster, where their shift pattern is drawn up to match their preferred hours as closely as possible.Flexitime – This is where an employee is working the same amount of hours they usually do, but they start and finish their days at different times. You might require them to work during a core time, but if flexitime is granted it means they can decide – within reason – when to start and finish each day. It’s up to you whether you allow them to carry over any hours to the next pay period so they can take additional leave, as long as it’s approved by their line manager.Annualised hours – Another form of flexible working is when you calculate an employee’s annual contractual working hours and allow flexible working patterns throughout the year. You might want to include a caveat which states that although most of the hours will be divided into a roster, some will be unallocated so the employee can be called into work to cover absences or to help with an increase in workload.Compressed hours – It may be that a staff member wants to work the same amount of hours, but in fewer days. By doing this, they can have more days off without taking a pay cut.Term-time work – Those employees who have children might request time off during the school holidays. You can either change the terms of their contracted hours or ask them to take the time off as unpaid leave if it goes above their holiday allowance.Overtime – Some staff members may want to work more than their full-time hours. If you think your company could benefit from this, you might consider coming to an agreement in terms of pay. It’s normal for companies to pay an overtime rate of one-and-a-half times the employee’s basic rate of pay on weekdays and double their basic rate of pay on Sundays and public holidays. Overtime is usually voluntary, so employees can refuse it if they want to.Remote working – It might be more convenient for an employee to work from home rather than in the office. It’s up to you to decide whether they do this full time or if it’s a mix of home and office-based work each week. Otherwise, you might consider remote working on specific days that have been agreed in advance.Job-sharing – People’s commitments to work can change due to various circumstances and you might find that two of your employees wish to share the same job. A full-time position can be split into two part-time roles, with each party sharing the overall responsibilities and being paid in proportion to the hours each one works. If you want to allow this, you should ensure that both parties are well-equipped for the role and can perform their duties well. Again, you should let your staff know which posts are suitable for job-sharing.

How to handle a flexible working request

The typical process for responding to an employee's request is as follows:

Have an initial discussion

Encourage the employee who’s making the request to have an open and honest discussion with you or their line manager to discuss their options in an informal manner.

Arrange a formal meeting

Once the employee has submitted their request in writing, you should arrange a more formal meeting with them to discuss the logistics of their proposed working pattern and whether it will be of benefit to your organisation as well as to the employee. You may wish to let them know that they can be accompanied by a workplace colleague.

Consider the implications of the request

You would then take a detailed look at any potential benefits or negative implications that the proposed arrangements could have on the business before making a permanent change to your employee's working hours.

Respond to the request

Whether you grant the request in full or in part, or you refuse the request altogether, you must let your employee know your decision in writing as soon after you’ve made it as possible. If you have doubts, you could propose a modified version of the request, grant it on a temporary basis or agree to a trial period.

Trial the new working arrangements

If you’re uncertain about granting the request, you can arrange a trial period where you allow a reasonable amount of time to decide whether the new arrangements are feasible.

Draw up a new employee contract

If both parties are happy with the new working practices, a new employment contract will need to be drawn up that includes the employee's new working pattern.If you need any more guidance on how to respond to a flexible working request, you can refer to this code of practice, published by employment advice service Acas.

Submitting a flexible working hours request

Employees can make a request in one of two ways:
    A statutory request – If an employee has been working for you for more than 26 weeks in a row, they can make a request under the law on flexible working. This means you have to follow a set process when negotiating the request. Not every employee is entitled to do this and they are only allowed to make one request per year.A non-statutory request – There’s no set procedure for making a request like this as it isn’t made under the law on flexible working.
You can set out your own procedure on how employees can apply for flexible working at your company. If you want to do this, you can include things like:
    The information they should include, such as dates and details of the proposed changesWhether the request is statutory or non-statutoryHow many requests the employee can make in a 12-month periodHow to go about submitting the request

Things to consider with flexible working

While it’s true that flexible working reduces face-to-face interaction, studies have shown that it can lead to more job satisfaction and increased productivity. A good work-life balance can boost staff morale and by recognising your employees’ other priorities like childcare, extra learning and leisure activities, you can help to reduce their stress levels.On the other hand, it may not be appropriate to grant flexible working hours to all areas of your business and you need to consider things like:
    The effect of the proposed changes could have on your other employeesHow big the changes will be to the existing structure of your companyAny extra training or supervision that may be neededWhether there would be any financial costs if the request is grantedHow manageable the workload of the new role would be

Right to appeal

If you decide not to grant your employee’s flexible working application, you should give them the right to appeal your decision. Advise them to lodge it in writing within a period of time specified by you, clearly stating the grounds on which they’re appealing. You should then respond to their appeal within a reasonable amount of time.To help make dealing with a flexible working hours request easier, we’ve drawn up a confirmation letter template, which you can download and edit as necessary.
Daniel Hogan
Daniel HoganCOO & Co-Founder

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Flexible Working Hours Template

Have an employee who's put in a flexible working hours request? With our downloadable template, you can create your own flexible working hours confirmation letter, completely free of charge.

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