Good news for all the UK moms and dads.

The government this week rejected pleas by several business groups to postpone new flexible working regulations in the face of the receding economy.  The move should make it easier for parents to care for their children and may encourage more moms to combine work and family.

Under plans released by the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform this week, parents with children as old as 16 would have the right to ask their employers for flexible work. Currently this option is limited to parents of children aged up to six.


Flexible working can include working from home, working part-time, compressed hours (working your agreed hours over fewer days) and working flexi-hours (choosing when to work).

The government's decision gives employers until april of next year to prepare themselves for an extra 4.5 million working parents gaining the right to request flexible working hours.