Before 30 June, 2014, only employees who care for certain children or adults living with them had the right to request flexible working.

Under new rules, which apply to England, Wales and Scotland, any employee with at least 26 weeks' service can now ask for flexible working.

Employees must make the request in writing, date it, and state whether they've asked for it before and, if so, when.

Changes have also been made to how these requests are dealt with. Previously, there was a statutory procedure in place to deal with requests. Now, you have a duty to deal with requests in a 'reasonable' manner. You also have 3 months to consider their request, talk to them about it and tell them of your decision (this period can be extended if agreed).