Our findings show that policy alone is not enough. Without addressing workplace cultures and entrenched gender roles, flexible working risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than reducing them. Women were more likely to shift into part-time work, while men’s patterns of work remained largely unchanged. This may reinforce existing divisions in paid and unpaid labour, with long-term risks for women’s career progression and financial security, and even risking the well-being of the family and men as well.
Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership, King’s Business School
16 September 2025
Flexible working policies not enough to change workplace practices
Researchers found expanding the legal ‘right to request’ flexible working has not led to major increases in employees using options such as flexitime or remote working.
New research shows a major reform designed to make flexible working more accessible to all workers in the UK has had limited impact on how employees actually work.
The study, led by researchers from King’s Business School, University College London and City St George's, University of London, analysed over 15,000 employees from the UK Household Longitudinal Study between 2010 and 2020. It examined the effects of the 2014 policy reform, which extended the right to request flexible working from only parents and carers to all employees with at least 26 weeks’ service.
The findings showed that women were more likely to take up reduced hours arrangements (such as part-time work) following the reform, with uptake increasing over time. There was no comparable rise in men’s use of reduced hours, while no significant increases were observed for flexitime or remote working among either men or women.
Women experienced reduced psychological distress and higher life satisfaction after the reform, this was possibly linked to reduced working hours, not to other forms of flexibility.
The research highlights that legislation alone is not enough to normalise flexible working. Previous studies at King’s College London showed that bias against employees who work remotely or flexibly persists, and the study shows how employers’ discretion to reject requests may still limit true access. Earlier surveys from trade unions have shown that significant numbers of mothers and women in the public sector have had requests for flexibility denied.
The researchers suggest that governments and employers need to go further to make flexible working a reality. Simply giving employees the right to request is not enough when workplace cultures and biases continue to act as barriers.
They highlight several options, including promoting flexible working in job adverts to set expectations early, offering targeted support to smaller employers, encouraging the public sector to lead by example, and running campaigns to tackle the stigma that still surrounds flexible working.
As of 2024, UK workers have the right to request flexible working from their first day of employment, with stronger obligations on employers to justify refusals. The researchers note that it will take several years before the impacts of this new change can be properly assessed.
From a health and well-being perspective, our research indicates that the policy reform may have enhanced women’s mental health and life satisfaction by alleviating the burden of long working hours alongside family responsibilities. However, it is essential to ensure that such reforms do not inadvertently deepen gender disparities in labour force participation. A shift toward part-time employment, while potentially beneficial in the short term, may compromise women’s long-term financial security and overall well-being.
Dr Baowen Xue, Lead Author and Lead of Work Theme of Equalise: ESRC Centre for Life course Health Equity, UCL
The study, Does the ‘right to request’ flexible work policy influence men’s and women’s uptake of flexible working and well-being? Findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, is published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Professor of Work and Employment and Director of King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership