Flexible Working: Making It Work for Small Businesses
- Nia Marshall
- Aug 17
- 4 min read
For many employees, the ability to adjust where, when or how they work is now one of the most important factors when choosing an employer. In fact, many candidates will look at flexibility before they even consider salary.
For small businesses, however, the conversation can feel much more complicated.
Unlike larger organisations, SMEs often don’t have large teams to absorb absence or cover different working patterns. If one person changes their hours, everyone else can feel the impact.
The challenge isn’t whether to offer flexible working.
The challenge is how to make it work without compromising your business.
Flexible working has changed
Since April 2024, employees have had the legal right to request flexible working from the first day of employment.
A request might include:
working fewer hours
changing start and finish times
compressed hours
job sharing
hybrid working
working from home
annualised hours
Importantly, employees don’t have a right to work flexibly.
They have the right to request flexible working, and employers must consider requests reasonably before reaching a decision.
Why it matters
Handled well, flexible working can bring significant benefits.
For SMEs it can:
improve recruitment
retain experienced employees
reduce sickness absence
improve morale
increase productivity
widen the talent pool, particularly in rural areas where commuting can be a barrier.
Many small businesses have discovered that offering flexibility allows them to recruit people who otherwise couldn’t work for them, including parents, carers, semi-retired professionals and people with disabilities.
But flexibility isn’t always simple
Small businesses face challenges that larger organisations often don’t.
You may only have:
one receptionist
one administrator
one accounts person
one engineer on call
one shop supervisor
If that individual wants to reduce their hours or work from home, there may simply be nobody else available to cover.
Customer expectations also matter.
If your business relies on face-to-face service, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare, retail or agriculture, remote working simply isn’t practical for many roles.
That’s perfectly acceptable.
The law recognises that businesses have genuine operational needs.
Avoid Making Decisions Too Quickly
One of the biggest mistakes employers make is saying “no” immediately.
Even if your instinct is that the request won’t work, it’s worth taking time to explore it properly.
Ask yourself:
What problem is the employee trying to solve?
Is there another way to achieve the same outcome?
Could the arrangement work on a trial basis?
Would a slight adjustment make it workable?
Would it affect colleagues or customers?
Could technology help?
Often the original request isn’t the only solution.
A constructive conversation can uncover alternatives that suit both parties.
Be fair and consistent
Employees compare how they’re treated.
If one person is allowed to work from home every Friday while another is refused without explanation, it’s likely to damage trust.
That doesn’t mean every request must be approved.
Different jobs have different operational requirements.
What matters is that each request is considered on its own merits and that you can clearly explain the reasons behind your decision.
Consistency builds confidence.
Remember equality considerations
Sometimes a flexible working request isn’t simply about convenience.
It may relate to:
childcare responsibilities
caring for elderly relatives
a disability
pregnancy
menopause
a long-term health condition
religious observance
These situations can introduce additional legal considerations, particularly around discrimination and the duty to make reasonable adjustments.
It’s important not to make assumptions and to understand the reason behind the request before reaching a decision.
Trial periods can be invaluable
One of the most effective tools available to SMEs is the trial period.
Rather than trying to predict whether an arrangement will work, agree to test it.
For example:
“Let’s try this for three months, review how it’s working for everyone, and then decide whether it should become permanent.”
This reduces risk for both employer and employee.
Many flexible arrangements succeed once everyone has had an opportunity to adapt.
Others reveal practical difficulties that couldn’t have been anticipated.
Either outcome provides evidence for a fair decision.
Communication is everything
Flexibility only works when expectations are clear.
Employees should understand:
their agreed working pattern
availability expectations
communication methods
performance expectations
how changes will be reviewed
when office attendance is required
Managers also need confidence in managing outcomes rather than simply monitoring presence.
Trust and accountability go hand in hand.
Finding the right balance
Flexible working isn’t about saying yes to every request.
Nor is it about protecting “the way we’ve always done things.”
The best outcomes usually sit somewhere in the middle.
Successful employers listen, explore options, consider the operational impact and make balanced decisions that support both the individual and the business.
That approach not only reduces legal risk but also strengthens engagement, trust and retention.
For many SMEs, that’s a competitive advantage that’s well worth investing in.
Need help navigating Flexible Working Requests?
Every request is different, and getting the balance right can sometimes feel challenging.
Whether you need advice on responding to a request, managing operational impacts, or ensuring your approach is legally compliant and fair, I can help.
At Nia Marshall HR, I provide practical, commercially focused HR advice tailored to owner-managed businesses, helping you make confident decisions that work for both your people and your business.
Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation about how I can support you.
Trusted Advice. Practical Solutions. Real Results.
About the Image: Relativity was created in 1953 by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher as a lithograph. It depicts a seemingly impossible world in which multiple groups of people move through the same space, each experiencing a different direction of gravity. Staircases lead both up and down simultaneously, depending on the perspective of the person using them.
Escher was fascinated by mathematics, geometry and perception, creating artworks that challenge our assumptions about reality and encourage us to see familiar situations from different viewpoints. Relativity is one of his most celebrated works and remains a powerful exploration of how different perspectives can coexist within the same environment.
Relativity offers a compelling metaphor for flexible working. Every employee may have different working patterns, responsibilities and perspectives, yet they can still contribute effectively towards the same organisational goals. Like Escher’s intricate composition, successful flexible working is not about everyone following the same path, but about designing systems that allow different ways of working to function together cohesively.
Unlike many famous paintings, Relativity is a graphic print rather than a unique artwork. Original signed impressions are held in a number of major museum and university collections around the world, including the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
