Being labelled unreliable as a working mum

OP your communication about this is murky. I'm finding it difficult to follow.

Do you start work at 9am and work tthrough lunch, using that hour to leave at 4pm for nursery collection?

Or do you start at 9am & work through lunch, leave at 3pm & arrive home 4pm to 'continue working' whilst also looking after your 2 year old?

Option A is not such a problem once all management are on board with this

Option B is far more of an issue & as a manager i wouldn't be happy with this as a permanent arrangement.

Can you please tell us which it is or if its none of these please outline what your average day looks like

Also, it doesn't matter a fig what way your line manager organises their time. They're more senior than you & they don't have to toe the line like you.

Or like thousands of others just get on with it. Work the hours we are contracted to work and don't take the piss pretending to work when spending every afternoon looking after our 2 year old.

If you are that sure of your ceo and hr support get them to put in writing that they are happy fir you to be paid a full time salary whilst looking after your child every afternoon. If that's fine then they will and there is no issue. They will tell your manager to stop harrasin g you as they are happy fir yju to get paid every afternoon whilst looking after your child. You then have it in writing and you can carry on without this worry.

Job done.

I'm sorry if I've missed this/misunderstood, but are you a totally single mum with no partner and ex not involved/co-parenting@Positivegirl ?

Also if they're 2, why are they finishing so early? If you're picking up at 3pm who looks after them afterwards?

I'm a single mum with completely absent ex and I work full time mostly from home. My son goes 8.30 to 4.30pm to nursery . I drop off and my mum does most pick ups but I do some as I have some flexibility, but 3pm is so early so I get why that's a bit inconvenient if you finish then every day.

From September your child will get 30 free hours plus tax free childcare so I'd imagine they could go full time more hours.

I'm my workplace there's lots of flexibility with people doing pick ups but it's usually around 5pm with nursery age kids. Some older children are picked up earlier from school but then can supervise themselves for a few hours.

Are you paid by the hour? If so you need to work those hours, I have targets and some days smash them by 10am but I ask for more work and I’m expected to work for the hours I’m paid.

How do you manage on a heavy day?
Surely working to 9 should be an average day if you aren't working afternoons.

Sorry but this is beginning to sound farcical and I can completely see why your line manager is fed up with you.

She can’t be doing her hours while looking after a two year old unless she’s ignoring the child.

You aren’t paid by the volume of work, you are paid by the hour. So you clearly have the capacity to do more.

Most people with 2 year olds and a job will have them in a full time nursery 8-6. Pre school style hours aren’t compatible with a full time job.

I have every sympathy with you trying to work as a single parent but your manager is right to be concerned and I wouldn’t be happy if any of my direct reports had your set up.

OP if it's just you, are not eligible for UC help? Both my husband and I work (he for himself and me part time) and recieve a UC top up - this is mainly because our son is disabled, so we have additional elements in it due to him receiving disability. You can claim back some of your childcare costs, which might in turn mean you can put him in nursery for more hours. There's a website that can help you work out how much you could claim

One positive thing OP - from September I assume you should be eligible for 30 free hours instead of 15?

Do you have any email trail of this OP? Trying ringing pregnant then screwed for advice.

I hear you OP. The problem isn't you, ,it's your line manager. Your CEO and (presumably) HR are happy with this arrangement, but your line manager isn't? I can't work out whether they've actually said something or are just making your life difficult?

Do you have everything in writing? Do you have the written agreement of your CEO and HR to this working arrangement? If not, maybe CEO or HR can confirm it in an email.

And then you need to get HR's support for the way your line manager is treating you. Start keeping notes of every interaction - including 121s and catch ups. Make sure you have written, measurable, objectives, and how you're meeting them each week/month.

fwiw, your child will be at school before you know it, and then things will get (slightly) easier.

You seem to have quite a chippy attitude, perhaps colleagues/managers noticed this along with resenting working longer than you for (presumably) the same money.

What about the other 50 weeks of the year? Please return back to your manosphere mansplaining land… so dismissive!!!! 🙄