Buddy says: There is no absolute right to work flexibly or part-time.  Rather, an eligible employee is entitled to make a request and the employer is under a duty to consider that request. If an employee is eligible, they may request a change to the hours they work, a change to the times when they are required to work, or to work from a different location e.g from home.  In summary there is:

• A right to request to work flexibly
• A statutory request procedure
• An obligation on the employer to consider that application properly
• A limited number of grounds on which the employer can refuse the request

Employer information:  Broadly speaking, to be eligible employees need to meet the following criteria:  

• Be employed (includes fixed-term employees and those who already work under a flexible work pattern). Does not apply to self-employed contractors or consultants;
• Have 26 weeks' continuous employment at the date the application is made;
• Not be an agency worker or a member of the armed forces;
• Not made an application to work flexibly during the preceding twelve months.

You should ensure that both you and the eligible employee follow these steps:

• The employee should put their request in writing setting out their request and specifying that the request is made in accordance with the Employment Act 2002. The employee should also set out what the effects of their proposals could be and how these effects might be dealt with and managed.
• Within 28 days of receiving the request you must meet with the employee to discuss the application. The employee has the right to be accompanied at the meeting
• Within 14 days of the meeting, you must write to the employee and either agree to the proposed changes and set a start date or provide written reasons why the request has been rejected and setting out the appeal procedure
• The employee can then appeal against the decision to reject the request but must do so within 14 days of the request being rejected.
• Within a further 14 days of receiving the appeal notice you must arrange a further meeting to discuss the appeal.
• Finally, and within a further 14 days after the meeting, you must notify the employee in writing of your decision

It is not a foregone conclusion that the employee should be granted their request to work flexibly. You may have entirely legitimate reasons why you cannot accommodate a specific request. There are eight grounds for rejecting a request. These are:

• The burden of additional costs
• Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand
• Inability to re-organise work among existing staff
• Inability to recruit additional staff
• Detrimental impact on quality 
• Detrimental impact on performance
• Insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work
• Planned structural changes

It is not enought to merely cite one of the above reasons for a rejection.  Your decision must also contain "sufficient explanation" as to why the chosen ground(s) apply.