Guidance

Flexible Service in the armed forces video transcript

Updated 28 April 2023

Video Transcript for Flexible Service in the armed forces

0:01.8 - 0:07.4

Flexible Service arrives on the 1 of April 2019, it will introduce new

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flexible working options for regular members of the armed forces. You can

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apply to work part-time, reducing your work routine by 20 or 40 percent, that’s

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equating to one or two days in a five-day working week. You can also ask

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to restrict your separation from home for no more than 35 days a year, you can

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ask to combine this with part-time work. Why has Flexible Service been introduced?

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Society is changing, employment markets are increasingly competitive and people

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want greater choice in how they run their lives. As a result we sometimes

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lose talented, trained and capable people as they struggle to balance their

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personal commitments with those expected of regular service. So to keep the right

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mix of people, Defence must compete in the wider employment market to attract

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and retain personnel by offering modern and flexible, Terms of Service.

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How can Flexible Service work in the armed forces? We already know that

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flexible working works, the flexible duties trial has shown there’s a real

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appetite for this type of flexibility and that it can be managed.

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Flexible Service is the next step in the journey. That said it must be planned and

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approved and it’s not guaranteed for those who ask, control mechanisms mean

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that it will only be approved where it can be managed.

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Applications can be made for any reason but operational capability will come

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first. The arrangement can be varied, suspended

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or ended if needed and you can still be assigned anywhere. While most benefits

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are unaffected it’s only right that those reducing their commitment for a

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time should receive less reward. Flexible Service is not for everyone but it

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offers more choice to a broad cross-section of the armed forces.

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It provides a new opportunity to balance busy committed careers with personal

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responsibilities and changing circumstances.

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What would you do? To find out more search flexible service on GOV.UK

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or the Ministry of Defence Intranet. Read JSP 750, speak to your Unit HR.