Why you can't brush aside Working From Home requests

The work from home requests have been coming in thick and fast over the last few years, with the pandemic proving the catalyst for vast swathes of the population wanting to work more flexibly.

And we're not here to weigh in on whether that’s a good or a bad thing – clearly it varies business to business.

But over the past few months, we’ve noticed that a lot of business owners think a work from home request can easily be brushed aside.

Newsflash: in 2025, it can’t, and a recent story highlights the pitfalls...

An admin officer at the Ministry of Justice recently won £29,065 at tribunal, after being denied the chance to work from home to manage debilitating menstrual health issues.

This wasn’t a speculative request – her symptoms were extremely acute, and in the past she’d been granted approval to work from home.

But when she asked again for a short block of consecutive days, the answer was no.

She went off sick, lodged a claim, and the tribunal agreed with her that she’d been the victim of disability discrimination. 

If you read the full judgment, the pitfalls are pretty clear: inconsistency and a refusing to engage meaningfully with what was a health-related need.

What does this mean for you?

 1. Reasonable adjustments aren’t optional

 2. Menstrual health is often now recognised as a serious workplace issue

 3. "That’s not how we do it here” won’t cut it if you get challenged

In light of this judgement, and the fact that this is a growing and very real issue for pretty much all businesses, it’s worth asking:

 1. Do your policies deal with chronic conditions?

 2. Do you apply your flexible working policy fairly?

 3. Are your staff trained to handle these conversations properly and empathetically?

Need some help or a second opinion?  Reach out to us and let’s talk it through…