Flexible working isn’t 9 to 5
There's a lot of talk about flexible working. Most organisations now recognise its importance, and many have policies in place. But too often, these policies miss the point.
Flexibility isn't just about when people work—it's about how they work. And many organisations struggle to embrace the full range of what that really means.
The hierarchy of flexibility
There's an unspoken hierarchy of what counts as 'acceptable' flexibility. Starting and finishing later or earlier? Generally fine. Taking breaks for school pick-ups? Usually okay. But structuring work to allow full-time focus across fewer days? Often treated with suspicion.
Different people need different kinds of flexibility. Some work best in deep, focused blocks of time, preferring long days followed by clear blocks of time off. Others might need to break up their day for school pick-ups or work non-linear hours. None of these approaches is inherently better—but too often, some are seen as more legitimate than others.
The reality is that work and life are a blend, and the key is making that blend work for each individual. The notion that balance means shutting your laptop at 5.30pm every day is outdated and unrealistic for many.
Trust is the foundation
The most important element of flexible working is trust. It's not about ticking boxes or following rigid policies. It's about understanding that different people work in different ways—and that, as long as they're delivering the right outcomes, the when should be largely irrelevant.
I’ve worked in all kinds of flexible ways over my career. Compressed hours, early mornings, late evenings—shifting my week depending on what’s needed, both at home and at work. And, in most cases, I’ve been lucky enough to have leaders who’ve trusted me to work in the way that gets the best from me, even if that hasn’t quite translated into HR policy.
In many organisations, flexibility becomes a set of fixed policies rather than a truly adaptive way of working. Even when there’s intent to support flexible working, it doesn’t always translate into reality.
When organisations don’t engage with the less typical or less traditional ways of working, it leads to blanket policies that—while often well-meaning—disadvantage those who don’t fit the mould.
The pay gap and the flexibility trap
One of the most significant shifts in recent years has been the wider acceptance of part-time working. This is a brilliant step forward—it allows more people to balance work and life in a way that makes sense for them.
But it comes with a difficult trade-off: for many, having a better work-life balance still means taking a pay cut.
Many companies now allow flexible working hours to accommodate childcare—but often only in the form of part-time contracts. The message this sends is: you can have flexibility, but only if you’re willing to take home less pay.
This disproportionately affects women, contributing to the gender pay gap. And in the long run, it also reinforces outdated structures that assume women will trade earnings for balance, while men will trade balance for career progression.
Every day, women are forced to step back from organisations that don't have a culture that allows them to balance work and family life. The best organisations won’t ask ambitious people to choose between career progression and work-life balance. Instead, they’ll design ways of working that support both.
Balancing flexibility and business needs
Of course, businesses need some structure. Teams need time to collaborate, managers need clarity on when their teams are working, and organisations need ways of ensuring productivity. And for some companies it’s necessary to have specific operating hours.
Flexible working regulations don’t mean saying ‘yes’ to every flexible working request. Each case must be assessed separately, and businesses must provide a clear, business-related reason if they decide to refuse a request. Another way to look at it is to consider:
Do teams have regular time to collaborate so they can work together effectively?
Are managers clear on when their teams are working?
Are employees achieving business outcomes and goals?
Is flexibility applied fairly, meaning each request is considered individually rather than being accepted or refused based on precedent?
If these things are in place, then flexibility should work for everyone—employees and organisations alike.
The legal regulations
New employment laws are making it clearer: companies must provide valid reasoning for rejecting flexible working requests. Blanket policies won't cut it anymore. Each request must be assessed individually, based on its own merits and the circumstances at the time. The idea that approving one request means having to approve or deny all similar future requests for "fairness" is a misunderstanding of the law.
Future policy changes will go even further, shifting the burden of proof onto employers to provide stronger justification for why a request cannot work, moving towards a model where flexible working is the default. As flexible working rights increase, organisations that rely on outdated or inaccurate reasoning to refuse requests will face greater legal risks, including:
Employment tribunal claims – If an employer refuses a request without evidenced and justifiable business reasons, they could be challenged.
Discrimination risks – If a refusal disproportionately impacts certain groups (e.g. women, disabled employees, or caregivers), organisations could face legal action.
Reputational damage – Businesses that fail to adapt risk losing talent to more forward-thinking competitors.
Companies that cling to outdated assumptions about flexible working won’t just struggle to retain staff—they could also face legal and financial consequences.
Moving beyond box-ticking
There are two narratives about work-life balance. One suggests that work and life should be completely separate—that balance means shutting your laptop at 5.30pm every day. The other is more realistic: work and life are a blend, and the key is making that blend work for each individual.
If organisations want to get this right, they need to:
Focus less on when people work and focus more on how people work by taking an outcomes-first approach
Make working patterns and performance management transparent so individuals aren't judged by assumption or rumour
Involve diverse voices in shaping policies—without which they often fail to meet the needs of women, people of colour, and those with different working styles or responsibilities
Ensure policies enable flexibility, rather than restricting it through unnecessary rules
The shift from hours to outcomes
Work-life balance isn’t about start and finish times. It’s about supporting flexible ways of working for employees to do their best work.
The employers who focus on outcomes rather than hours will have a massive advantage. They'll keep their best people by trusting them to deliver results in ways that work for them, centre their ways of working around impact, and build cultures where every individual can excel.
Organisations who turn new flexible working policies into action will be the ones that thrive—not just in talent retention, but in performance, culture, and reputation.