If a member of staff requests flexible working, do employers have to accept?

A: No. According to ACAS, employers have no obligation to accept flexible working arrangements. There are 7 options for refusing requests.

1. It would cost the company too much
2. It would be difficult to reorganise the work between staff
3. It’s too difficult to recruit another person
4. Performance would be affected
5. There would be a detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand
6. Insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work
7. 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.