work and children's schooling

[alnbex86]

hi

basically my partner has asked if she could reduce her hours in her day from 9-4 to 9-3 but is willing to work an extra day of 9-3 so she is still working the same weekly hours so she can be able to drop off and pick our daughter from school.

they have refused her these hours and have told her she will still have to work her normal hours of 9-4 which means we would have to find childcare for after school but we can't afford this.

as i am self employed and i work all over the country i am unable to commit to the commitment of doing the school runs. which is why we didn't think it would be a problem for her work to ok these hours but it seems it is.

so were between a rock and a hard place at the minute, I'm just wondering if there is a law against this or if there is anything i can research so we can write a letter or is it just a case of looking for a new job?

thanks for your help

[morchoxplz]

My understanding if the lawn is that the employer has to consider this request. They do not have to agree to it. Your partner could put the request in writing to her employer explaining the reason for the request. If there is an HR dept she could send it direct to them. If they then still say no it us one to consider a new job.
I have a childminder who collects from school for 3

[AnguaResurgam]

She should start looking for a new job as plan B, but you can appeal against a decision to refuse a flexible working request.

Her employers have to give a good business reason for refusing the change. Not knowing the nature of the work, it would be impossible to give specific advice here. But if, for example, they are fully staffed on the day she is asking to work, and would be understaffed between 3-4pm every day because they have no way to redeploy (without forcing a change on someone else) then the first decision may well stand.

(Of course if your DP knows the is someone who would be willing to change their hours too, then she might be able to present her employers with a solution everyone is happy with).