hi, it’s up to you, the manager or the business. I usually would do 3 - 6 months.

In reply to Mandy:

Hi Mandy thank you for getting back but I have been advised by a lot of people and HRinform that 6 months is excessive especially now that we have to give the outcome in 2 months. Confused. Also, does it mean that there isn't a limit on the length of the trial period and can ot be extended too? Doesn't seem to be fair especially if we are required to give an outcome in 2months. thank you

In reply to Meena:

You have been badly advised
6 months is about the top limit

In reply to Peter Stanway:

Hi Peter, Thank you for getting back. Is there a reason why 6 months is the maximum limit, and not 9 months or a year? I didn't find anything on ACAS.

The statutory scheme for flexible working requests does not provide for, or regulate, trial periods.
As Peter says, if you have been given such advice it is based on opinion and nothing else.
The use of a trial period may be relevant in demonstrating reasonableness in dealing with the request but there is no requirement on you to offer one. Neither does the employee have a right to insist on one.

In reply to Meena:

You're required to give an outcome within two months, unless this is extended by mutual agreement. It would be reasonable to suggest an extension to allow a trial period.

We usually trial for 3 months, then review. In exceptional circumstances, we may trial for a further 3 months after that.

There is no hard and fast rule, but you possibly consider the implications of trialling for more than 3-6 months. A trial should be to establish whether or not the adjusted working pattern works for the employee and for the business. If someone has worked a pattern for 6 months and the business has not fallen over and you haven't experienced excessive performance issues...it would be hard to justify rejecting the request. So why have a longer trial period? The longer the trial period continues for, the more likely it is that the request should be accepted. So having it on a trial is only likely to decrease employee trust and engagement.

Unless your business experiences *significant* changes across a year, 3 months should really be enough to establish if the working pattern works. Exceptions could be if there is a lot of annual leave or sickness for the individual or within the team at that time, or if your business is seasonal but you'd expect this already to be reflected in contracts if so.

In reply to Sophie:

Thank you Sophie and David. Very helpful.