There are many ways we can improve the policies in our country to make work work for families. One is the “right to request,” which enables workers to request flexible work schedules and get an official answer why not if denied. Importantly, these laws prevent employer retaliation for workers who make a request.
The state of Vermont just passed the first state law of this kind in the U.S. Not surprisingly workers in several other countries have long enjoyed this right. Here’s the scoop from CLASP, a national nonpartisan organization dedicated to public policies that strengthen families and create pathways to education and work:
Last month, the state of Vermont passed the country’s first law that includes a provision giving workers the “right to request” a flexible work schedule. And on the heels of Vermont’s exciting victory, earlier this month, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu introduced a proposed ballot measure for rules that would give workers who are caregivers a “right to request” flex work. Such laws allow employees to file requests with their employers to telecommute, job share, work part time, or adjust their schedules – all options that can greatly reduce the burden parents and other caregivers face when trying to meet the demands of their jobs and care for their families.
The Vermont law – and San Francisco’s, if it makes it on the ballot and voters embrace it – follows in the footsteps of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia, which have already instituted right to request policies. (Other developed nations have more expansive provisions that give workers the right to schedule changes, not just the right to ask for them.) Under the U.K. and New Zealand laws, employers can refuse the request if approving it would lead to undue hardship for the business. Vermont’s law prohibits employers from retaliating against employees that make the request; San Francisco’s motion for a ballot measure uses similar language.