What Should You Do if You Receive Two or More Flexible Working Requests at the Same Time?

One employee asks to have Fridays off. A few days later, another employee asks for exactly the same thing.

You could accommodate one of the requests, but having both employees away every Friday would leave the team short. So who gets priority?

Receiving two or more competing flexible working requests at around the same time can make the decision more complicated, particularly where the requests conflict with each other. Employers need to consider each request fairly rather than simply deciding whose personal reason seems more important.

Are Flexible Working Requests First Come, First Served?

Flexible working requests should generally be considered in the order they are received. This is usually set out in your organisations policy.

That does not mean the first employee to submit a request automatically gets what they have asked for. Their request still needs to be properly considered and the employer still needs to assess whether the arrangement can be accommodated. But an employer should not hold back an earlier request simply because another employee might submit a competing request later.

Where several requests arrive close together, keep a clear record of when each request was received and make sure the same process is followed for each employee.

What If You Could Agree to One Request but Not Both?

This is where things can become difficult. Imagine two employees both request to have Fridays off. The business could manage with one of them being away every Friday, but not both.

The employer should talk to each employee separately and explore whether there are alternative arrangements that could work. One employee might be able to take a different day off. Someone might be willing to alternate Fridays. A slightly different working pattern might achieve what the employee needs without creating the same problem for the business. You should not assume there is a conflict until you have actually explored the options.

If no compromise can be found and both requests genuinely cannot be accommodated, each request should be considered separately and in the order it was received.

Should You Decide Whose Reason Is More Important?

Generally, no. This is one of the biggest traps for managers dealing with competing flexible working requests. One employee might want Fridays off because they have childcare responsibilities. Another might want Fridays off to pursue a qualification, care for an elderly relative or simply because that working pattern suits their life better.

Managers can easily find themselves trying to decide which employee has the most deserving reason. That is not generally how statutory flexible working requests should be approached.

Employees do not have to earn flexible working by having the best personal reason. The employer should focus on whether the requested working arrangement can be accommodated and whether there is a genuine business reason why it cannot.

Does Someone With Children Get Priority?

Having children does not automatically give an employee priority over somebody else's flexible working request. An employee may have very genuine childcare difficulties and the employer should listen to them. But another employee should not automatically be pushed behind them simply because their reason appears less important.

There can also be discrimination risks around working arrangements and childcare, particularly where a decision disadvantages women. That means employers need to be thoughtful about the impact of their decisions and avoid assumptions about parents or caring responsibilities. But that is different from operating a blanket rule that parents always come first.

Flexible working decisions should be based on a fair assessment rather than a hierarchy of whose personal life is most deserving.

What If One Request Relates to a Disability?

This needs to be considered differently. A request for different hours or working arrangements may sometimes be connected to an employee's disability and could amount to a request for a reasonable adjustment.

Employers have separate legal duties around reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. That means you should not simply put a disability-related request into a queue alongside ordinary flexible working requests and assume exactly the same considerations apply.

You need to understand what the employee is asking for, why they need the change and whether the duty to make reasonable adjustments is engaged. This is one reason managers should understand the circumstances behind a request without turning the process into a competition over who has the best reason.

Does Approving the First Request Mean You Have to Approve the Second?

No. Flexible working requests should be considered individually. The fact that you have previously allowed another employee to work from home three days a week, finish early or have Fridays off does not automatically mean everybody else is entitled to the same arrangement. The practical circumstances may be different.

In fact, agreeing the first request could itself affect what the business can reasonably accommodate when a later request arrives. For example, a team may be able to operate with one person not working on a Friday but not with two people absent.

The important thing is being able to explain the genuine business impact rather than simply saying, "We've already let one person do it, so we can't let anyone else."

Should You Compare the Employees Against Each Other?

Try to avoid turning flexible working into a competition between employees. The question is not whether Employee A deserves flexible working more than Employee B. Consider what each proposed arrangement would mean for the business.

Could work be reorganised? Would there be enough cover? Could customer demand still be met? Would the arrangement affect quality or performance? Could another working pattern solve the problem?

Looking at the practical impact gives managers a much stronger basis for making decisions than comparing employees' personal circumstances.

What If the Requests Arrive on the Same Day?

If requests genuinely arrive at effectively the same time, the employer should still deal with them fairly and consistently. Do not invent an arbitrary reason for favouring one employee.

Speak to both employees, understand what each is requesting and explore whether there is a way of accommodating both. There may be more flexibility than first appears once alternatives are discussed.

If the business genuinely cannot accommodate both arrangements, take HR advice if necessary and make sure the eventual decisions can be clearly explained and supported by the actual operational circumstances.

The closer together the requests arrive, the more important it is to keep a clear record of how the employer approached them.

Can You Ask Employees to Compromise?

Absolutely. Flexible working does not have to be a straight choice between accepting exactly what the employee requested and rejecting it completely.

If two employees want the same non-working day, you could explore whether either could work a different pattern. If several employees want to work from home on the same days, you might discuss different office days.

Other possibilities might include different start and finish times, a partial change, alternating arrangements or a trial period.

The employer does not have to invent an alternative that solves every problem, but a genuine conversation can sometimes reveal an option that neither side initially considered.

What If Neither Employee Will Compromise?

Sometimes both employees need exactly the arrangement they have requested and neither alternative works for them. That does not mean the employer has to agree to both.

If the business genuinely cannot accommodate both requests, the employer still needs to consider each request fairly and determine whether there is a genuine business reason for refusing one.

The statutory business reasons include issues such as an inability to reorganise work among existing staff, an inability to recruit additional staff, detrimental impact on performance or quality, detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand and planned structural changes.

The employer should be able to explain how the relevant reason actually applies to the circumstances rather than simply quoting it from the legislation.

Do You Have to Consult Employees Before Refusing a Flexible Working Request?

Yes. If you are not going to agree a statutory flexible working request in full, you must consult the employee before making your decision. This becomes particularly useful when there are competing requests because the consultation gives you an opportunity to explain the practical difficulty and explore alternatives.

For example, instead of simply saying that two people cannot both have Fridays off, you could discuss whether another day, different hours or an alternative pattern might work.

The consultation should be a genuine conversation rather than a meeting held after the decision has effectively already been made.

What Should You Avoid When Dealing With Competing Flexible Working Requests?

Avoid making assumptions about whose reason is more worthy. Do not automatically prioritise parents, carers or employees who give you more personal information about why they want the change.

Do not assume that because you agreed one person's request you must agree everyone else's. Equally, do not reject a later request purely because somebody else already works flexibly. You still need to consider whether the additional arrangement could work.

And be particularly careful where disability or another protected characteristic is relevant, because the employer may have legal obligations beyond the statutory flexible working process.

How Should Managers Handle Multiple Flexible Working Requests?

Keep the process focused on the arrangements being requested and their actual impact on the business. Record when each request was received. Consider them in order. Speak to the employees individually and explore whether both requests could be accommodated, including through alternative arrangements.

If they cannot, make decisions based on genuine business considerations rather than deciding which employee has the most sympathetic reason. Most importantly, be able to explain your reasoning.

Two employees asking for the same working pattern does not automatically mean one request has to be rejected. But where the business genuinely cannot accommodate both, a fair and well-documented process becomes particularly important.

Need HR Support?

If you've received competing flexible working requests and you're unsure how to decide between them fairly, BloomHR can help.

We provide practical HR advice to small businesses, including support with flexible working requests, family leave, reasonable adjustments and difficult people management decisions. Contact us for more information.