Rejected part time - alternative ideas needed

[notanaturalmum]

So as the title says, my flex work request after Mat leave has been informally rejected. I wanted to do 4 days.
For a number of reasons, I'm too scared to push it and wanted to look at alternative suggestions.

We have limited parental support - they are able to do evening babysitting and that's about it.

Bare minimum, i need every other Friday off. Both kids will be in nursery 4 days, DH already does compressed hours and will have them every other Friday.

My alternative suggestions to boss are - compressed hours - 10 day fortnight opposite Fridays to DH.
Using holiday to cover the empty Fridays (either agreed in advance or just doing it)
Using holiday to work 4 days a week as part of a phased return (unlikely to be granted).
I also will struggle with the contracted hours 8.30 till 5 cos of nursery drop offs etc.
I'd like maybe 9 till 4.30 so thinking maybe just ask to work 32 hours instead of 37 and be paid accordingly. Is this a silly idea.

In other companies, I'm sure people just rock up late and sneak off early but I don't think that's good practice.

I have a good job/salary. Desk based and I see no reason why my request has been rejected. He says that it would impact the rest of the team and the role never has and never will be part time.

Can anybody help with any suggestions or share how they manage.
I don't want to put the kids in nursery full time as DH fought hard to get flex work and the grandparents like to come and visit and turn it into a long weekend etc.

[Didyeaye]

If you’d struggle to do the contracted hours how would you manage condensed hours to do (I assume you meant) a 9 day fortnight?

[notanaturalmum]

Ah. At the moment I do and have mostly done both drop off and pick up. DH probably does 1 or 2 out of 8 each week.
If I was to switch to a 9 day fortnight then DH would have to always do pick ups so I could stay later.

[YakkityYakYakYak]

Your employer has a statutory obligation to properly consider your request and to give you a substantial reason why if it cannot be accommodated. I’d be tempted to remind him of this, and ask for a more detailed explanation of why it will ‘impact the team’ and why this impact cannot be mitigated. If you understand his thinking process then you should be better placed to discuss alternative options (although I’m willing to bet that his thinking process is just that he doesn’t want to be flexible - but put him on the spot!). I’d also suggest having a face to face conversation about all the different options and ways that they can work, it’s too easy for him to fob you off with a simple no to a written request, you can challenge him if you’re speaking face to face.

[notanaturalmum]

Without wanting to drip feed - but I guess I am doing.
I've already suggested meeting round a table, talking through how we could make it work and he repeats the same line each time - it's not a part time role.
My company was taken over by a new one the week I went off on mat leave so there's new policies, new culture it would seem and I've a new manager that I've never worked with before. We've met a couple of times but he doesn't know me from Adam. He's been drafted over from the US so he's unfamiliar (his words) with UK employment law but he just doesn't want to entertain anything to do with not full time.

[Mixingitall]

Surely you submit your formal application for flexible working and then HR schedule a meeting with yourself and the new manager.

I applied and it was turned down. A colleague applied and used an employment solicitor to complete the application and took the solicitor to the meeting. It was accepted.

I use up parental parental leave for our actual annual leave, and then save my annual leave for ad hoc days off and child sickness. With unpaid parental you can take up to 4 weeks per year to a maximum of 18 weeks per child in total until their 18th birthday. I use 2 weeks per year against eldest ds, and 2 weeks per year against youngest ds.

[YakkityYakYakYak]

It’s not okay for him to just refuse to consider it. It shows that he knows nothing about U.K. employment law. He also sounds like a dick, sorry that you have to work for him.

I guess it depends how far you want to take it, if he later just refusing to even consider any flexibility. Do you have an internal HR team? You could speak with them. You could raise a grievance. You are even entitled to take them to an employment tribunal for not adhering to your statutory employment rights, if you so wished.

[YakkityYakYakYak]

www.gov.uk/flexible-working

You could also consider speaking with ACAS for advice as they are the ones who set the guidelines for how flexible working requests should be dealt with

[notanaturalmum]

@YakkityYakYakYak in another life (pre this 2nd mat leave) I would already be thinking about taking them to the cleaners.

But this is different. I've a new boss, a newish role, it's technically a different company, I don't feel I've any leverage at all. My team are all different - there's been a load of restructures. I literally feel like the new girl and I almost don't want to be seen as a troublemaker from the off.

And I think he's trying to flex his authority and I don't know him well enough to know how far to push him.
I almost feel like I need him on side so that he won't kick up a fuss for all the future times I'm going to have to leave the office due to sick kids.
Hence why I'm trying to figure out if there's a way of me somehow doing fewer hours without him getting uppity about that.

Thankyou for your advice though.

[SospanFrangipan]

Have a google for 'Pregnant then Screwed' they have a hell line dedicated to advising on situations like this 👍