Linklaters is to grant all employees the right to request a formal flexible working arrangement, no matter how long they have been with the firm and without the need to explain why they need it. 

The revised U.K. policy goes beyond the statutory requirement, which states that staff need to be employed for 26 weeks before such a request can be made.

"We feel flexible working should be offered from the outset," said Liz Cope, Linklaters senior adviser on global diversity and inclusion. "Often when people are asked why they want to do flexible working, there's a bias around who will be allowed to work flexibly. We've really taken that out of the equation and instead are asking employees how they think it can work for them."