Flexible working policies have only a limited effect on how people actually work

A major UK policy reform to expand workers’ rights to request flexible working has not substantially changed how people work in practice, according to new research from King’s Business School, UCL and City, University of London. The study analysed data from more than 15,000 employees in the UK Household Longitudinal Study spanning 2010 to 2020, focusing in particular on the 2014 policy that extended the legal right to request flexible working to all employees with at least 26 weeks’ service, rather than just parents or carers. It found that while women are more likely to reduce their hours following the reform, there was no corresponding increase in remote working or flexitime among either men or women.

In addition to changes in working hours, the research observed improvements in women’s mental health and life satisfaction after the reform, likely linked to reduced working hours. But beyond that, uptake of more flexible working arrangements remains limited.

The authors warn that policy alone is insufficient to shift workplace culture and structural biases. Employers’ ability to refuse requests, entrenched gender norms, and a lack of visibility or stigma around remote or flexible working continue to act as barriers. Previous studies cited in the research show high rates of flexibility requests being denied in the public sector, particularly among mothers and women.

To address these gaps, researchers suggest several measures: including explicitly advertising job roles that allow flexible working, encouraging smaller employers to provide more support, having the public sector lead by example, and running campaigns to reduce stigma around flexible work.

The study also points out that in 2024 UK law was further changed to allow workers to request flexible working from their first day of employment, while placing stronger obligations on employers to justify refusals. But the authors caution that it may take several years before the full effects of these newer provisions can be properly assessed.

The study, Does the ‘right to request’ flexible work policy influence men’s and women’s uptake of flexible working and well-being? Findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, is published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.