Manufacturers urge delay in extension to flexible working legislation

The call was made on the back of a major survey of manufacturers showing that employers have seen some positive benefits from flexible working. However, the survey also showed a majority of companies have experienced practical problems with implementing the current legislation and are opposed to extending the right to request flexible working beyond those employees already covered. Commenting, Peter Schofield, EEF’s Director of Employment and Legal Affairs, said that while manufacturers have seen benefits from the introduction of flexible working, the last thing they needed now was to have to consider more and more requests. “They need to be given time before this right is extended to more employees. If it is extended, they are more likely to say ‘no’ and some people who really need to work flexibly could then miss out. There is a limit to flexibility in any workplace and employers must, as now, be able to say ‘no’ where there are genuine reasons to do so.” Key findings from the survey included: • Over two-thirds of companies had received a request for flexible working in the last 12 months. • Employers saw the main benefits of flexible working as leading to better relationships with employees, improved motivation and reduced staff turnover. • Two-thirds of employers reported that flexible working had created practical problems. The most common were extra pressure on other employees, difficulties arising from sections being left short-staffed and difficulty in managing flexible working practices. • Companies were overwhelmingly opposed to extending the current flexible working legislation. If the legislation is to be extended, they felt that this should be done in stages.