Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023
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Obligation on employer to consider request under section 20 | ||
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21. (1) An employer who receives a request for a remote working arrangement submitted in accordance with section 20 (3) shall— | ||
(a) consider that request, having regard to— | ||
(i) his or her needs, | ||
(ii) the employee’s needs, and | ||
(iii) the requirements of the code of practice, | ||
and | ||
(b) as soon as reasonably practicable but, subject to subsection (2), not later than 4 weeks after receipt of the request— | ||
(i) approve the request, which approval shall include an agreement prepared and signed by the employer and employee setting out— | ||
(I) the details of the remote working arrangement, and | ||
(II) the date of the commencement and the expiration, if any, of the remote working arrangement, | ||
(ii) provide a notice in writing informing the employee that the request has been refused and of the reasons for the refusal, or | ||
(iii) where subsection (2) applies, provide a notice in writing to the employee that the employer has extended the 4 week period under this subsection for a further period specified in the notice. | ||
(2) Where an employer is having difficulty assessing the viability of the request for a remote working arrangement, the employer may extend the 4 week period referred to in subsection (1) by a further period not exceeding 8 weeks. | ||
(3) When the agreement referred to in subsection (1)(b)(i) is signed by the employer and the employee, the employer shall retain the agreement and provide a copy of the agreement to the employee who shall retain it. |