Labour has announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at making it more difficult for employers to refuse employees’ requests to work from home. Speaking at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual conference in Brighton, Louise Haigh, Minister for the Cabinet Office and First Secretary of State, outlined that under the proposed changes, employers would be required to hold a face-to-face meeting with employees before rejecting a work-from-home request and provide a clear, justifiable reason for their decision.

Currently, UK employees have a legal right to request flexible working arrangements, including remote work or changes in hours. Employers must consider these requests "in a reasonable manner" and respond within two months, discussing the request with the employee before a refusal. Employers can decline requests on specified grounds, such as additional costs, reduced quality or performance, or inability to meet customer demand.

Haigh emphasized that while not all jobs can be done from home and not every request can be approved, every application should be treated seriously. She stated that businesses must also recognize that workers have responsibilities outside the office, such as childcare or caring for relatives, and that "a little bit of flexibility can make all the difference."

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, welcomed the move, describing flexible working as “not just a perk — it’s a lifeline.” He argued that the legislation would strengthen workers' voices in the decision-making process and benefit workplaces by improving productivity and employee retention.

The policy reflects an ongoing shift since the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a significant increase in remote working across both the public and private sectors. Despite many employees continuing to work from home post-pandemic, concerns remain over productivity and workplace dynamics. Research from last year showed that the UK had one of the highest rates of remote working in Europe, with employees averaging nearly two days of work from home per week.

The Labour Party’s approach, viewed as a significant enhancement of workers’ rights under the Employment Rights Act, has been met with criticism from some quarters. Andrew Griffith, the Labour shadow chancellor, criticized the proposals as creating “job-sapping red tape” for private sector businesses and described it as a “shirkers’ charter” in the public sector.

The government’s forthcoming legislation aims to formalize the process by which employers must assess flexible working requests, requiring clear communication and rationale for refusals, reinforcing the balance between business needs and employees’ demands for flexibility.