All the situations you can be denied working from home requests as Andy Burnham announces new rules

The Prime Minister said he would help those requesting to work from home, but business don't always have to agree

For those who want to request working from home and make their work-life balance simpler, there are legal rights in place.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham last month unveiled new rules on how he wanted to help people with home working.

The plans involved looking to tighten rules around businesses calling for mandatory in-person work, with a study also revealing how flexible working hours are ‘more important than pay’ for top managers.

The changes came after many workers shifted to home working during the coronavirus pandemic with businesses making adjustments for their employees.

The government is bringing forward the reforms, with the changes expected to come into force in 2027.

It said it would make it tougher for employers to prevent staff from working from home by making sure businesses are demonstrating they 'properly' weigh up a worker's request to work from home before turning it down.

But for employers requesting that staff return to office working, there are some rights under the Employment Rights Act 1996.

These can give employees the opportunity to request flexible working, which can include asking to change where they work, such as from home.

The changes mean that employees simply asking for flexibility does not mean it will always be approved, but that their employers must reasonably consider all requests, which can be refused only on business grounds.

First Secretary of State Louise Haigh previously told the annual Trade Union Congress (TUC) how she plans to 'strengthen the right to flexible working', adding: “Life isn’t always as neat as we’d like to be, or as employers would like it to be.

“There’s kids to pick up, parents to look after, families who rely on us at short notice, and sometimes a little bit of flexibility can make all the difference."

But there are a number of reasons that requests could be denied, including the inability to redistribute work amongst staff and whether it is believed to cause a detrimental impact on performance.

According to the Trades Union Congress, these are:

Under existing UK employment rules, employees can ask for flexible working arrangements and can make up to two statutory requests in any 12-month period which must be responded to and completed within two months of the request being made.

James is a multi award-winning Senior Journalist working for LADbible with a passion for telling human interest stories and delving into investigations. Previously working for regional news brands, James has covered some of the biggest national and international stories including major exclusives.

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