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Flexible working rejection letter template explaining business reasons clearly and compliantly.
Our Flexible Working Request Rejection Letter Template ensures clear, fair communication of a declined request, outlining business reasons and offering next steps.
This letter should only be used if the employer is rejecting the employee's request and any alternatives that were raised at the meeting with the employee.
[Sender name]
[Sender address]
[date]
[Recipient name]
[Recipient address]
Dear [Recipient first name],
Rejection of flexible working request
Following receipt of your flexible working application and our meeting on [date], I have considered your request for a new, flexible working pattern.
Unfortunately, having given full consideration to your application, I regret that the Company is unable to accommodate your request. The reasons for this are set out below.
You requested a change to the pattern of your working hours to [describe the proposed changes].
It is the Company's view that agreeing to these changes would:
[have a detrimental impact on operational performance]
[have a detrimental impact on quality]
[have a detrimental effect on the Company's ability
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For more value, this is also found in our Full library and Flexible and hybrid working templates toolkit
A flexible working request rejection letter is a formal letter sent by an employer to an employee who has requested to change their working arrangements, such as their hours of work, their place of work, or their work pattern. The letter is used to inform the employee that their request has been denied.
The letter should provide clear reasons why the request has been rejected, and it should be written in a professional and respectful tone. The employer should explain any relevant policies or procedures that have been considered in the decision-making process, and the employee's right to appeal the decision should also be outlined.
Related HR resources and workflow
Explore the HR resources that may be relevant before and / or after using the Flexible working request rejection letter, helping you understand the wider process, maintain appropriate documentation and follow a consistent approach.
Our flexible working application meeting script template guides productive discussions, ensuring clear communication and mutual understanding of flexible work arrangements.
Our flexible working appeal letter template can help employees formally challenge a rejected flexible working request.
Employees have the right to make a flexible working request from day 1 of employment (they must have 26 weeks service in NI), provided they have not made more than 1 flexible working request in the last 12 months (no more than 1 per year in NI).
There is no set procedure for employers to follow when dealing with statutory requests for flexible working, but they must deal with such requests in a reasonable manner. The employer must complete the process (including responding to an appeal) within two months of the request, or a longer period if agreed with the employee.
You should refuse the original request for one or more of the permitted eight business reasons, as follows:
Burden of additional costs.
Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand.
Inability to reorganise work among existing staff.
Inability to recruit additional staff.
Detrimental impact on quality.
Detrimental impact on performance.
Insufficiency of work during the periods you propose to work.
Planned structural changes.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Flexible working request rejection letter template, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing flexible and hybrid working processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
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