Flexible and agile working

HR teams need to plan for the inevitable rise of flexible and agile working after the Covid-19 pandemic.Risks and questions abound, from discrimination and harassment to protecting employees’ physical and mental health and wellbeing.In this episode, we look at:The right to request flexible working, and whether this goes far enough (compared to countries like Finland);The grounds for refusing a request, and whether this will be harder moving forwards;The risk of claims relating to indirect sex discrimination, health and safety (both mental and physical) and protected characteristics;Whether remote surveillance of employees is legal, and how to manage the risks; andThe need for a robust approach to data protection and information security.We also look at what recent news stories have taught us about the wide scope of equalities protections and the need for a dress code for virtual meetings.In our listeners’ questions, we discuss the use of personal devices for work purposes when working remotely and the expected rise in whistleblowing claims as a result of the pandemic.Useful links:ICO’s tips on working from home securelyTLT’s ‘Fit for the future’ hubSend us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_EmploymentYou can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employmentSign up to receive legal insights at tltsolicitors.com/signupIf you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.