Flexible working acceptance without meeting letter

Where, having reviewed an employee’s request for flexible working, you’re happy to accept it in full, you can simply confirm this in writing.

No need for meeting

The Acas Code of Practice on requests for flexible working says that, where an employee has made a request for flexible working, you must normally consult with them before making a decision on their request. Indeed, the statutory provisions state that you cannot actually reject their request unless you’ve first consulted with them. However, there’s one circumstance where you don’t need to hold a meeting with the employee first and that’s where you decide to agree to their request in full. You can still hold a meeting though in this circumstance. You might still decide to do this where you want to: (1) ensure all relevant information is understood by both parties before your decision is finalised, e.g. you want to be clear the employee understands that your acceptance of their request means their working pattern will permanently change and they’ll have no legal right to revert to their previous working pattern at a future date; (2) check whether the request relates to a reasonable adjustment for the employee’s disability or is to accommodate childcare arrangements where they’re the primary carer; or (3) discuss the practical considerations involved in implementing their request.

Acceptance of request

Where you do decide to accept the employee’s request in full, and you don’t see the need for a prior meeting, you can use our Flexible Working Acceptance Without Meeting Letter. The Code says that you should confirm your decision in writing without unreasonable delay. You’ll also still need to comply with the statutory two-month period for deciding requests, so don’t be tempted to sit on things for too long. Our letter acknowledges the employee’s request for flexible working and confirms that you’re able to accommodate it in full and so you won’t be arranging a meeting with them to discuss it further. The remainder of the letter content is then similar in substance to our Flexible Working Acceptance Letter. It sets out the detail of the new agreed working pattern (and what additional changes this may make to the employee’s terms and conditions of employment) and it establishes a start date for the new working pattern. Where the employee only originally requested a temporary flexible working arrangement for a defined period, rather than a permanent one, and you’ve agreed to that in full, our letter includes optional wording covering this specific circumstance. In this case, you can insert an end date for the temporary arrangement.

Opportunity for discussion

The Code also says that your written decision should offer the employee an opportunity for a discussion to clarify any further information that may be helpful in implementing the agreed arrangement. So, we’ve added a final paragraph to our letter asking the employee to contact you if they would like to have such a discussion. You don’t need to have this though if you mutually agree that it’s not necessary.