April 7, 2025
Productivity concerns put brakes on adoption of flexible working
Nearly one in three British workers who have requested flexible working say their request was refused because of employer fears about their productivity, despite nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) workers believing they would be more productive if they worked flexibly by having control over their working hours and location of work, a new survey claims. One year on from the introduction of the Flexible Working Act – which granted the right to request flexible working from day on – the poll from Phoenix Group suggests more workers are taking advantage of flexible arrangements, but many still face significant barriers. It found that while over one in five (21 percent) who engage in discussion regarding flexible working requests had successfully applied to work flexibly in the past year, the same number have had requests denied (21 percent) by their current or previous employer, with challenges around awareness, employer engagement and perceptions around productivity.
While flexibility at work can mean different things to different people Phoenix Insights research found that 62 percent of workers wanted flexibility over their hours worked and 43 percent wanted flexibility over where they worked – revealing a disconnect between worker and employer wants and needs.
Other reasons for requests being denied included workers feeling their employer doesn’t believe in flexibility (27 percent), business needs outweighing flexibility (24 percent) and a lack of resources to support flexible work arrangements (21 percent).
Most workers have not changed their working arrangements since the law came into force. Less than one-in-six (15 percent) workers have made changes, with over three quarters (78 percent) continuing under their existing arrangements. Among those who have adapted their work patterns, the most common change has been working full-time with the option to work remotely (57 percent), with men (65 percent) more likely than women (45 percent) to have made this adjustment.
Despite the law making it easier for employees to request flexible working, awareness remains a key challenge. Over half (55 percent) of workers do not know what the Flexible Working Act entitles them to, while over a third (36 percent) say their employer or manager has never proactively mentioned it.
