A: No. According to ACAS, employers have no obligation to accept flexible working arrangements. There are 7 options for refusing requests.
- It would cost the company too much
- It would be difficult to reorganise the work between staff
- It’s too difficult to recruit another person
- Performance would be affected
- There would be a detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand
- Insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work
- There are planned structural changes for the company
NB: If employers allow one employee flexible working and not another, the employer could face discrimination accusations.