UK Plan Would Force Bosses to Meet Workers Before Refusing Flexible Work

UK bosses who want to turn down a flexible working request would have to meet the worker, weigh the request properly and explain the refusal, under new rights announced by First Secretary of State Louise Haigh.

Haigh set out the plan on 15 September 2026 in a speech to the TUC conference in Brighton The Guardian. It would add new procedural duties to the current system. Under current UK rules, every employee has the legal right to ask for flexible working, which employers must consider in a reasonable manner. In practice that means handling the request fairly, not ignoring it.

The proposal was put forward alongside the Employment Rights Act, which created new rights around sick pay, parental leave and zero-hours contracts. Where that law set broad entitlements, this flexible working step would set rules for individual cases, requiring discussion and a clear explanation if refusal is on the table.

Haigh serves as first secretary of state. She earlier resigned as UK transport minister after admitting a minor criminal offence linked to a mobile phone Reuters. She was the youngest member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's cabinet Al Jazeera. She has been described as an ally of leadership hopeful Andy Burnham Reuters.

The broader context here is the difference between a right to ask and a right to get. A duty to consider requests in a reasonable manner leaves managers with wide choice. A duty to meet, consider properly and give reasons still leaves that choice in place. It shapes how that choice must be used and creates a record of the decision.

Looking at what this could mean in workplaces, much will turn on definitions and enforcement. A required meeting means direct talk about the pattern the employee wants. It gives staff a chance to answer concerns before a final decision. It also creates time and paperwork costs for employers, especially small firms without a dedicated HR team. Whether that process changes results will depend on what counts as proper consideration and what happens if an employer skips the steps.

In my view, the choice of audience matters. A TUC conference is a friendly venue for worker protections and a way to hear union hopes for how the rule will work. The announcement is still a statement of intent. Parliamentary drafting, employer guidance and tribunal decisions will decide how strict the meeting rule is in practice. For now, the direction is plain. A refusal would need a conversation, not only a letter.