4.5m parents of children aged 16 and under have new rights to flexible work from today. If you want to find out if you are eligible, visit Direct.gov or read on:

“If you are an employee (but not an agency worker or in the armed forces) and you have worked for your employer for 26 weeks’ continuously before applying, you have the statutory right to ask if you:

• have a child aged 16 or under (from 6 April 2009) or a disabled child under 18 who receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• are responsible for the child as a parent/guardian/special guardian/foster parent/private foster carer or as the holder of a residence order
• are the spouse, partner or civil partner of one of these and are applying to care for the child
• are a carer who cares, or expects to be caring, for an adult who is a spouse, partner, civil partner or relative; or who although not related to you, lives at the same address as you

Under the law your employer must seriously consider any application you make, and only reject it if there are good business reasons for doing so. You have the right to ask for flexible working – not the right to have it.

According to Direct.gov, employees who do not have the legal right to request flexible working are, of course, free to ask their employer if they can work flexibly. Many employers are willing to consider such requests.