The government has proposed giving workers the right to request flexible working arrangements from their first day of employment.
New legislation will mean workers will no longer be required to wait 26 weeks before requesting flexible work hours, as is the case under the current legislation.
The government also intends to pass legislation that will make it simpler for those with low salaries to get a second job.
The Trades Union Congress, however, stated that the government needs to go “much further.”
After the UK emerged from Covid lockdowns, flexible working has remained.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) stated that before rejecting a request for flexible work arrangements, an employer would have to discuss “alternative options” if the employer is unable to accommodate it.
It stated that flexible working included job-sharing, flexitime, or staggered hours and did not just mean working from home.