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Take the hassle out of changing working hours with HR automation
Easily manage working hours requests with an automated system that ensures ACAS compliance, speeds up approvals, and keeps everyone informed with instant notifications.
How it works:
Submission: Employees complete an online form through the company portal, making it quick and easy to submit their working hours adjustment request.
AI validation: The system verifies that the selected date is valid, ensuring it is neither in the past nor more than six months into the future. It also checks that the requested working hours fall within the allowable range of 10% to 100% and that the new working hours differ from the employee’s current schedule.
Automated processing:
If valid, a preapproved contract appendix with company branding is automatically generated, ensuring consistency and compliance.
The document is routed for digital signatures from both the manager and employee, and can seamlessly integrate with your preferred e-signature platforms such as DocuSign or GetAccept.
Your payroll system is automatically updated upon signature.
Manual review (if required):
If errors are found, HR receives an email notification to review the request.
HR can manually approve, adjust, or reject the request.
Want to enhance your process?
Depending on the nature of the request, additional approval steps can be introduced. For instance, working from home requests may require different form fields compared to adjustments to specific working hours. Approvals can be routed to a manager for review or automatically approved based on company policies, ensuring a smooth and compliant process.
Why use this workflow template?
Save time: Reduce administrative burden by automating tedious tasks and approvals.
Reduce errors: Eliminate inconsistencies and ensure accuracy throughout the process.
Stay compliant: Automatically align with company policies and regulatory requirements.
Improve speed and efficiency: Process requests quickly, reducing delays and bottlenecks.
Keep everyone informed: Automated notifications ensure all stakeholders remain updated.
Frequently asked questions
How do you handle a flexible working request?
With a clear, recorded process: a written request, a check that the details are valid, a decision, a signed contract change and an update to payroll. This 50skills template runs each step with an online form, AI validation, an auto-generated contract appendix, e-signatures from manager and employee, and a payroll update. For statutory steps and timescales, check current GOV.UK guidance and the Acas Code of Practice.
What does the AI check in a request to change working hours?
It checks three things: the selected date is not in the past or more than six months ahead, the requested hours fall within the allowed range of 10% to 100%, and the new hours differ from the employee's current schedule. The AI prompt can be edited in 50skills to match your policy, including job role, department and seniority for different approval chains.
How is a change to working hours documented and signed?
With a contract appendix that's generated automatically. When a request passes validation, 50skills creates a preapproved, company-branded appendix and sends it for digital signature by both the manager and the employee, using e-signing tools such as DocuSign or GetAccept. Once it's signed, the payroll system is updated automatically, so nobody has to re-enter the new hours.
What happens if a working hours request fails the AI checks?
HR receives an email asking them to review the request. From there, HR can approve it manually, adjust the details or reject it, so a request with an invalid date or hours outside the allowed range never produces a contract appendix on its own. Requests that pass the checks go straight to document generation and e-signature.
Can working from home requests follow a different route from a change in hours?
Yes. Working from home requests can use different form fields and approval steps from changes to specific working hours. Depending on the request, approval can go to a manager for review or happen automatically when it meets company policy. Notification settings and document formats can also be changed to match how your organisation handles contract changes.
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