Allowing office staff to undertake mobile working requires no extra red tape for businesses, according to data gleaned from a Freedom of Information request by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Of the 218,100 employment tribunals so far in 2010 and 2011, only 277 were complaints that employers had not properly observed flexible working regulations.
Only ten of these cases were actually successful, with 229 settled out of court or resolved by Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service.
The CIPD believe that these figures prove that flexible working does not produce more red tape for businesses than employees working at the office.
Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at CIPD, said: “They demonstrate beyond any doubt that the fears expressed about the impact of extending the right to request flexible working are grossly exaggerated.”
Instead, it suggests that giving staff the right to request flexible working does in fact support business performance and productivity as opposed to inhibiting it.
Despite its critics, flexible working seems to have been embraced by many businesses who understand it is an important part of modern business and legislation is providing the right level of guidance on the issue.
Far from the perception that only parents benefit from flexible and mobile working, other areas of the workforce are also taking advantage of its possibilities.
As the UK’s employees become older, many of them have caring responsibilities which don’t involve children and staff who take long term sick leave often find flexible working a good transition back into the workplace.
CIPD is a human resources body, which aids in the development of working organisations and has 135,000 members in 120 countries.
Mr Emmott said: “The reality is that businesses of all sizes are way ahead of the critics in the way they have responded to the legislation.”
