Team meeting moved to time outside agreed working hours

[alltheworld]

Contracted hours are 930 to 530 but due to nature of work 9am starts expected and late finishes the norm.
Due to childcare issues I have had a flexible work agreement in place for more than a year for a ten am start.
Team meetings have until now been held once a month at lunchtime, sometimes external speakers are invited. The meetings were extended but we still often do not get through internal matters,
The team leader has now said that team meetings will now be held every three weeks at 9 am, presumably in addition to lunchtime meetings with external speakers.
I have explained my childcare issue (ds preschool at time and location which makes it impossible for me to use local childcare options. I might persuade a neighbour to help ) and said I would try to attend if possible. Boss responded that she wd move the meeting to 930 if possible, however I wd still miss half the meeting and all of it if it only lasts 30 mins.
We are a small team of less than ten and allocation of work and professional developments would be discussed at the meeting. I am already struggling to get enough work allocated to me and suspect I am being forced out so fear I will be disadvantaged further.
Any thoughts?

[SushiAndTheBanshees]

Is your felixibke arrangement in your contract, or is it a loose arrangement?

[alltheworld]

IT is in my contract.

[AutumnLeavesArePretty]

If you are the only one who can't make it then it should still go ahead. Meetings first thing are a usual occurrence, little point starting anything for half an hour as it's more productive to just start.

If they are working longer hours than you as don't clock watch, then they will naturally do more work.

Does your partner not help at all, expecting them to share the nursery runs is pretty standard.

[thatstoast]

If you're paid as ft then I would just try and work something out as it's only once a month. Is there anyone who could help you with that?

[AnchorDownDeepBreath]

I think your options would be either to argue that it's outside of your flexible hours and therefore you can't attend, or to make another arrangement on that day - finish an hour early? and find a way to make it.

If you're already worried that you're missing out and this meeting will involve planning, it'll be in your interests to get there, if you can. If you don't go, you're almost certainly going to be a bit subject to "out of sight, out of mind".

You can't really ask them to move the meeting because you can't attend, if the other 9 can. Random meetings in the middle of the morning or afternoon are unproductive and have a much higher rate of people not attending. You've already got a lunchtime meeting, so adding another would be harsh, and most people would rather a meeting at 9am to staying after 5pm regularly (even if you already do when it's necessary).

Hopefully your neighbour can help, or you could ask another parent if they'd take him to preschool one day a month and you'd take their child another day?

[ThenLaterWhenItGotDark]

It sounds like they've already been pretty flexible tbh.

Your hours are supposed to be 930, but sometimes 9 and they let you start at 10.

I would be pretty cross if you wanted even more flexibility I'm afraid.

Don't mean to be so harsh, but your contract makes it pretty clear.

[alltheworld]

Fair points all. Will try to manage.

[flowery]

"Your hours are supposed to be 930, but sometimes 9 and they let you start at 10."

No, her contractual hours are to start at 10. They are not "supposed to be" anything else.

"I would be pretty cross if you wanted even more flexibility I'm afraid."

She's not asking for more flexibility. She is asking for a team meeting to be held at a time when the whole team is there in order to make sure she is not disadvantaged because of her part time status.

Whether it's possible or not is one thing, but the OP doesn't need to be prostrating herself with gratitude at them allowing her to work slightly different hours from others.

OP if the meeting is only once every three weeks and your manager has adjusted it so you can attend half of it that might need to be enough of a compromise, but if that's all that can be managed, you need to discuss with your manager how you (both) can ensure you don't miss out on anything.

[fastdaytears]

flowery she isn't part time.

A meeting in the middle of the day will be much less productive than at the start. If it's every 3 weeks and you want to be there then there must be a way to cover the drop off on those days?

[GreenTomatoJam]

Hold on, so contracted hours for everyone start at 9:30, but you start at 10? And they wanted a team meeting during the time that no-one is paid for?

I'll tell you who's taking advantage, and it's not you.

Is there some reason meetings can't be held at 10? Do you have customers or appointments to service?

I can't imagine why, if it's a team meeting, they'd organise it outside of a team member's contract hours. I agree, that sounds more like being managed out than anything else.

[flowery]

"flowery she isn't part time."

Fair enough, I did make an assumption that starting later meant fewer hours, but of course you're right it could mean finishing later therefore still full time, and if you know she is not part time you obviously have more knowledge about the OP's situation that I do.

But it's irrelevant anyway. She's not asking for more flexibility, she is seeking not to be disadvantaged because her contractual hours are different from those of her colleagues as a result of a flexible working request.

[alltheworld]

I am not part time. I work more than my contracted hours. For years the meetings have been held at lunchtime. When another team member was being forced out, one of the first things that happened was he was asked to attend a weekly meeting at a time of day she knew would be impossible.
In my profession you are judged by how much work you have been given and I am not being given any and not being at this meeting will make it worse.

[alltheworld]

Thanks Flowery, how would you handle this? Go to Hr and say what?

[alltheworld]

One solution might be to suggest that the external speaker does the 9 am slots and team meetings stay at lunchtime?

[alltheworld]

Problem with drop off is that one of my kids has a start at a time and place that is different from all the other kids so no other parent or cm can help which is why I requested the 10 am start time. I can't see how I can find a babysitter to work just one hour in the morning,

[Rangirl]

I would try and make this meeting
I agree that legally you don't have to but I think it is one of those situations where you are best to show willing