Appealing a decision

An employee should be informed of the decision in writing as soon as possible, and be given the chance to appeal against a negative decision. There is no statutory right to appeal, but the Acas guide suggests an appeal should be allowed if there is “new information”, or if an employee thinks the application was not handled reasonably in line with the employer’s policy. There is no formal requirement for a face-to-face meeting.

Unreasonable behaviour could include, for example, not discussing the request, not giving an employee the chance to be accompanied, and not allowing an appeal against a negative decision.