Mental Health: Flexible Working

(asked on 29th November 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of flexible working from the commencement of employment for people with mental health issues.


Answered by
Margot James Portrait
Margot James
This question was answered on 7th December 2016

Flexible working benefits both employees and employers: it can enable people with mental health issues to maximise their contribution at work and help employers to retain and make use of their skills. The Government extended the Right to Request Flexible Working to all employees with 26 weeks qualifying service in 2014, where previously it applied only to employees with children and carers of certain adults. The legislation strikes a balance between giving employees flexibility and giving employers the certainty that they need to plan. Many employers agree flexible working arrangements with employees outside the statutory framework. I would encourage employers to be open to flexible working options when recruiting, and to make this visible when advertising jobs.

Our health and welfare systems need to reflect the benefits that work can bring and offer the opportunity to work for all those who can, help for those who could, and care for those who cannot. Our recent green paper Work, Health and Disability: Improving Lives reflects our ambitious approach to work and health.

Reticulating Splines