Andy Burnham is already taking the role of Prime Minister seriously, coming up with a whole host of new rules and changes which he hopes will make the lives of ordinary Brits better. This week he has vowed to help those who work from home, with the government publishing new guidelines which have been designed to better protect people who want to work from home.
Government plans to strengthen workers' rights
Earlier this week, First Secretary of State Louise Haigh told the annual Trade Union Congress (TUC) that the government would make it tougher for employers to prevent staff from working from home by making sure businesses are demonstrating they "properly" weigh up a worker's request to work from home before turning it down.
It is hoped the bid will bring 'power back into the hands of working people' and protect those who have outside influences to think of.
Ms Haigh said: "That is what putting power back into the hands of working people looks like. Life isn't always as neat as employers would like it to be. 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." Ms Haigh added that while "not every job can be done from home and not every request can be agreed", each request "can be taken seriously".
What the new rules will bring
The new rules mean that should an employer turn down a flexible or home working request, they will need to give a proper reason - not just that it "isn't what they want."
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."
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, 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."
Legal rights for home workers
The move backing workers has now encouraged employees to look into their rights as both home workers.
Under existing UK employment rules, employees can ask for flexible working arrangements straight from the off. People can make up to two statutory requests in any 12-month period which must be responded to and completed within two months of the request being made.
But having the right to request remote work is not an automatic right to receive it - an employer can reject a request based on 8 statutory business grounds including impact on performance, inability to reorganise work, or customer demand.
