Flexible working explained

This page provides information on the University's Flexible Working Policy, with links to guidance and request forms.

Changes to flexible working rights

The Government have made changes to flexible working rights for employees. These changes which will come into effect on 06 April 2024 and will apply to any applications submitted by an employee from this date onwards. The HR Flexible Working Policy and guidance is currently under review and can still be used to support a flexible working request but from 06 April 2024 please be aware of the new flexible working rights:

As an employee you:

can make a formal flexible working request from your first day of employment;
can make up to two flexible working requests during any 12-month period, (one live request at any one time);
no longer need to explain what impact, if any, the change could have on the University, and how it could be dealt with.

As a manager you:

must hold a consultation meeting with your employee to discuss their formal flexible working request as soon as possible after you receive their request. You cannot reject a request without consulting with the employee first; and
must complete the flexible working request within two months. The two months starts from the date you receive the flexible working request. If your employee chooses to appeal your decision, the appeal process must be completed within the two months.

If you have any queries, please contact Ask HR.

How do I request flexible working?

Please see section 3 of the Flexible Working Policy in ‘Policy, guidance and application forms’ above for information on the process.

A summary of the process is provided below:

Have an initial conversation with your line manager
Complete the Flexible Working Request form and submit it to your line manager for their consideration
Your line manager will request a meeting with you to discuss the application (within 21 days)
Your line manager will then need to confirm their decision in writing (within 14 days of your meeting*) and provide you with a copy of the completed request form.
If your request involves a change of hours or work pattern, your line manager should submit an HR Request.
If your request involves any other change to your terms and conditions, this should be requested via a ticket on the Service Portal.

*For applications received on or after 6 April 2024 the whole process must be completed within two months (including an appeal, if applicable) from the date the application is received.

Under the Flexible Working Policy, can I request to work from home on a permanent basis?

The University enables staff to do hybrid working, where their role permits. Hybrid working means staff can split their working time between the home and on site. The University has a dedicated Hybrid Working Toolkit providing guidance on all aspects of hybrid working.

A team's hybrid working arrangements should be captured in a team charter. This means staff don't need to make a formal flexible working request to work in a hybrid way, if their role permits.

The hybrid working principles state that all staff are expected to spend some of their time working on site, therefore requests to work 100% remotely on a permanent basis will generally be declined, unless there are exceptional grounds (e.g., if the request is a reasonable adjustment). Such requests should be discussed with HR first, as there are potential issues (e.g. to with employment contracts, tax, health and safety, insurance etc.) that need to be considered.

Can I job share?

a job share arrangement may be possible, if the following conditions are met:

a suitable partner can be identified or recruited
the arrangement can be accommodated by your school/department without negatively impacting on service delivery

Please refer to the Job sharing page on the HR website for more information.

What should a manager do if they receive an application for flexible working?

Until 05 April 2024 please refer to the links to the Flexible Working Policy and ACAS guidance found in ‘Policy, guidance and application forms’ above.

From 06 April 2024 you can still refer to the Flexible Working Policy and ACAS guidance, but please note the changes to flexible working rights, summarised at the top of this page, which will apply to any applications received from this date.

For further help, please contact Ask HR.

When might an application for flexible working be refused?

Please see section 6 of the Flexible Working Policy.

Does the University have a support network for people with caring responsibilities?

The Parents' and Carers' Network (P&CN) aims to support colleagues who have off-campus responsibilities looking after children or after adults unable to care for themselves. Please visit their website (www.southampton.ac.uk/pcn) for more information.

I'm considering flexible retirement, where can I find information about this?

Please see the Flexible Retirement Policy which can be downloaded from the Retirement Explained page on the HR Website.

Changes to flexible working rights

Policy, guidance and application forms

Policy

Guidance

Forms

Frequently asked questions