A senior figure in Andy Burnham's government has promised to introduce a major change for people who work from home. Louise Haigh, who is the First Secretary of State and effectively Mr Burnham's deputy, said it will be made harder for employers to block staff from doing their job at home.
Under current rules, all employees have the legal right to request flexible working with regard to their hours or where they work. These must be considered in a “reasonable manner” and a decision made within two months.
New requirement for employers
But Ms Haigh said businesses will now have to show they had fully considered a worker's request to work from home before rejecting it, as reported by BirminghamLive.
Speaking to the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) conference in Brighton earlier this week, Ms Haigh argued that while “not every job can be done from home and not every request can be agreed”, each request “can be taken seriously”.
She said: “If an employer wants to turn down a request, they will have to sit down with their employee, properly consider and explain why.”
Putting power back into working people's hands
On why the government is making this change, Ms Haigh argued "life isn’t always as neat as employers would like it to be”, adding: “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. That is what putting power back into the hands of working people looks like."
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC who is from Bebington in Wirral, said flexible working was not “just a perk - it's a lifeline”.
He added: “That’s why this move is a welcome step forward. It makes it harder for employers to turn down requests while giving workers a stronger voice in the process. Improving access to flexible working benefits workers, businesses and the economy - whether it’s through increasing staff productivity or higher retention.”
Employment Rights Act and zero-hours contracts
Ms Haigh also hailed the Employment Rights Act as the "biggest uplift" in workers' rights in a generation. She told union bosses the changes included sick pay from day one, curbs on fire and rehire, greater protections for mums and dads and stronger safeguards against unfair dismissal.
The government is also cracking down on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts, which Ms Haigh said currently give “employers all the flexibility” and workers “all the insecurity”.
Mr Burnham, who is from Old Roan, visited Liverpool yesterday to watch Everton face Wolves in the League Cup with Canadian Prime Minister and fellow Blue Mark Carney at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
