At Wrexham Family Information Service (WFIS) we offer information and advice to working parents and carers on topics such as flexible working, legislation affecting work-life balance, work breaks and childcare. As well as contacting us for further advice you can read about a few work-related terms below.

What does ’work-life balance’ and ’flexible working’ mean?

Work-life balance policies and best practices aren’t just about families and childcare, or about working less. It’s about striking the right balance between what you can achieve at work and at home, and being able to give your best to all areas of your life.

There are many different types of flexible working.  Some examples are: part-time working, term-time working, job sharing, flexi-time, compressed hours, annual hours, working from home, mobile working, career breaks or commissioned outcomes.

Right to request flexible working

Every employee who has 26 weeks continuous employment service with the same employer has the legal right to request flexible working. Employers must deal with requests in a reasonable manner. An employer can refuse an application if they have a good business reason for doing so.

Right to train

As with flexible working, employees who have worked for 26 continuous weeks with an employer can request time to train. You would need to be able to demonstrate that the training/qualification will help you develop skills relevant to your work, workplace or business. The request can be refused if it will place undue burden on your employer to fulfil the request.

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