Guide for employers · Updated October 2026

Flexible working: the pros and cons for employers

Flexible working means changing when, where or how much someone works. Done well, it helps you hire from a wider pool and keep people you would otherwise lose. Done badly, it leaves gaps in cover, resentment between teams and a pile of records nobody trusts.

This guide sets out both sides honestly, the main types of flexible working to choose from, and what the law expects when an employee asks.

The short answer

Pros for employers

A wider pool of people who can apply
Better retention, especially of parents and carers
Longer opening or cover hours without overtime
Fewer short notice requests for time off

Cons for employers

Gaps in cover if nobody is watching the rota
Unfairness between roles that can flex and roles that cannot
Harder supervision and communication
More hours, balances and requests to record accurately

The main types of flexible working

“Flexible working” covers several quite different arrangements, and the pros and cons depend on which one you mean.

FlexitimeStaff choose their start and finish times within limits, usually around core hours, and work an agreed total over a period. Time over or under goes into a balance. Our guide to how flexi time works covers core hours, limits and settlement in detail.

Compressed hoursThe same hours in fewer, longer days, such as a four day week or a nine day fortnight. Popular with staff, but long days can affect concentration and you need to check rest breaks and working time still add up.

Annualised hoursA set number of hours over the year rather than the week, so people work more in busy seasons and less in quiet ones. It suits seasonal businesses, but needs careful tracking so nobody ends the year owing or owed a large number of hours.

Part time and job sharingFewer hours, or one role split between two people. Job sharing keeps a full time role covered, but depends on a good handover between the two.

Staggered hoursFixed start and finish times that differ from person to person. Less flexible than flexitime for the employee, but much easier to plan cover around.

Term time workingWorking during school terms and taking unpaid leave or holiday in the holidays. Valuable for retaining parents, harder to cover in the summer.

Hybrid and remote workingChanging where people work rather than when. It brings its own questions about equipment, data and how you know who is working, which are worth settling before anyone starts.

The advantages of flexible working for employers

The benefits are real, but they are not automatic, and the size of them depends on the job and how well the scheme is run.

You can hire from a wider pool

A role that has to be done 9 to 5, five days a week, rules out a lot of good people: parents on the school run, carers, people with a long commute or a health condition. Offering flexibility in the advert, even within limits, widens the field.

People stay longer

Someone whose circumstances change, a new baby or an elderly parent, often leaves because the hours stop working, not the job. Being able to adjust the hours can keep an experienced person who would cost a lot to replace.

Longer cover without overtime

If some people prefer to start at 7 and others to finish at 6, you can cover a longer day than any one person works, without paying anyone overtime to do it.

Fewer short notice requests

When staff can move their hours around a dentist appointment or a parents’ evening, they are less likely to need a last minute day off for it. That depends on the trust running both ways, which is where good records help.

The disadvantages of flexible working for employers

Most articles on flexible working skip this part. These are the problems employers actually run into, and what tends to help.

Gaps in cover. If everyone chooses to start late on a Monday, nobody answers the phone at 8. Core hours, a minimum number of people on at key times, or a rota that people agree among themselves all help.
Unfairness between roles. Office staff can flex; the person on the production line or the shop floor often cannot. If flexibility only ever goes to one group, expect resentment. Be clear about which roles it applies to and why, and look for what you can offer the others, such as shift swaps or more notice of rotas.
Harder supervision and communication. When people are in at different times, meetings are harder to arrange and new starters see less of their colleagues. Core hours and a regular team day go a long way.
Record keeping. Flexible hours mean more to track: balances, compressed days, annual totals and who agreed what. A spreadsheet works for a handful of people and becomes the problem after that, because nobody is sure which version is right.
Working time and pay. Long compressed days and flexi credit can push people over working time limits or blur what counts as overtime. You still need accurate hours to show rest breaks were taken and pay was right.
It does not suit every job. Some roles depend on being in a particular place at a particular time. Saying so is fine. What matters is that you look at each request properly rather than refusing by default.

And for employees

For staff, the main gain is fitting work around the rest of life: childcare, caring, travel outside the rush hour or managing a health condition. The downsides are less obvious but real. Some people find the boundary between work and home harder to hold, some feel they have to be seen to put in extra hours, and those on flexi can lose credit they have built up if it goes over the limit.

Asking staff what they would actually use, before designing a scheme, avoids building something nobody wants.

Flexible working requests and the law

In Great Britain, employees can ask for flexible working from their first day in a job. They can make two requests in any 12 months, and you must give a decision within two months, including any appeal, unless you both agree to longer. You have to consult the employee before turning a request down, and you can only refuse for one of the business reasons set out in law, such as extra cost, an effect on quality or performance, or not being able to reorganise the work among other staff.

Further changes to how requests must be handled are planned, and the rules are different in Northern Ireland. Rather than rely on a summary here, check the current position on gov.uk and the Acas guidance on flexible working before you decide a request.

This is general information, not legal advice. If a request is difficult or a refusal is likely to be challenged, take advice.

Keeping track of flexible hours

Whatever arrangement you choose, it only stays fair if everyone trusts the hours. Syncro Connect records clockings from a terminal or the mobile app, and Syncro Flexi keeps a running flexi balance for each person against their expected hours, with core hours and limits you set. It is included from £2 per employee per month, excluding VAT.

See how Syncro Flexi works

Flexible working questions, answered

If yours is not here, call the Leeds team on 0113 350 9043.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of flexible working?

For employers, the main advantages are a wider pool of applicants, better retention, longer cover without overtime and fewer short notice requests for time off. The main disadvantages are gaps in cover, unfairness between roles that can flex and roles that cannot, harder supervision, and more hours and balances to record accurately. For employees, the gain is fitting work around the rest of life, and the risk is a blurred line between work and home.

What is the biggest disadvantage of flexible working for employers?

Usually cover. If people choose their own hours and nobody is checking, you can find no one in at the times customers need you. Core hours, a minimum number of people at key times, or letting a team agree its own rota all fix this without taking the flexibility away. The second biggest is unfairness between roles that can flex and roles that cannot, which needs explaining rather than ignoring.

Can an employer refuse a flexible working request?

Yes, but only for one of the business reasons set out in law, such as extra cost, an effect on quality or performance, or not being able to reorganise the work among other staff. In Great Britain you must also consult the employee before refusing. Changes to how requests are handled are planned, so check gov.uk for the current rules before you decide.

How long does an employer have to answer a flexible working request?

Two months from the day the request is received, including any appeal, unless you and the employee agree to extend it. Employees can make two requests in any 12 months. The rules differ in Northern Ireland.

Is a 9 day fortnight a good idea?

It can be, for roles where a slightly longer day does not hurt the work. Staff get a day off every two weeks without losing pay, which is popular. The catch is that someone is off on every working day, so cover needs planning, and the longer days need to stay within rest break and working time rules. Trial it for a few months before making it permanent.

What is the difference between flexitime and flexible working?

Flexible working is the umbrella term for any change to when, where or how much someone works. Flexitime is one type of it, where staff choose their start and finish times within limits and work an agreed total over a period. Our guide to how flexi time works goes into balances, core hours and limits.

How does holiday work for people on flexible hours?

Part time staff are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks of holiday as everyone else, worked out pro rata. For compressed hours and irregular patterns, it is usually fairer to record holiday in hours rather than days, so a 10 hour day off counts as 10 hours. Gov.uk sets out holiday entitlement and has a calculator.

Can we offer flexible working to some staff and not others?

Yes, if the difference comes from what each job needs and you apply it consistently. Where it goes wrong is refusing requests without looking at them properly, or in a way that falls harder on one group, such as parents or disabled staff, which can lead to a discrimination claim. Write down why a role can or cannot flex, and look at each request on its merits.

How do you keep track of hours when everyone works different times?

With a time and attendance system rather than a spreadsheet, once you have more than a handful of people. Staff clock at a terminal or on their phone, and the system works out hours, balances and holiday from the same records. Syncro Connect does this from £2 per employee per month excluding VAT, with Syncro Flexi included for anyone on flexitime.