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Flexible working consultation launched
27 August 2008
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has launched a new consultation into flexible working practices.
Following the decision to extend the right to request flexible working to include parents of children under the age of 16, the government is seeking to make dealing with such requests easier for businesses.
Employment relations minister Pat McFadden said the consultation would aim to find ways of reducing the paperwork involved in the process, such as abolishing the requirement for employers to write to their employees to formally accept requests.
"The right to request flexible working has worked well because it helps employees to balance their home and work lives but at the same time gives employers the right to say no where there are legitimate business concerns," the minister said.
In July, the Confederation of British Industry claimed that extending the right to flexible working would create further problems for businesses in the UK, the Independent reports.
John Cridland, deputy director general of the organisation, said the move could place "extra burdens" on companies.
