How can I ask for more hours when line manager keeps refusing.

[Mornings]

My youngest will be starting school in September and I currently work very part time. I'd like to increase my hours as I will have more time and would like to take on more responsibility at work and get more of the "meatier" tasks as I feel the part timers get the more basic stuff. The additional money will obviously help too.

The thing is when I have asked my direct line manager in the recent past that I'd like to increase my hours, she has said directly no that wouldn't be necessary even though there's enough work and we're short staffed. Call me cynical but I suspect she does this so her son can work during uni holidays as he is currently doing now.

Should I ask her again? Or should I bypass her and go straight to the team manager. If I do this I feel he may ask my line manager what she thinks and she will just say no not needed.

Just to add my job was advertised as more hours but I asked at the time if I could work reduced hours and see how it goes till youngest was at school. They agreed but nothing was set in stone to increase in future.

Hi do you have a a flex work request policy

you should be putting through a change of hour request to increase your hours this should be reviewed In line with business needs and a formal response given which you have the right to appeal

the main reason why I would decline a increase in hours request (and I’ve never declined one but this is what I would consider) is budget

if I only have budget for 3.75 FTE and I have 3.75 then I cannot increase someone’s contracted hours without justified sign off for increase budget

getting someone in on an ad hoc basis can be justifiable for a short term answer to busy periods and in the past I have used temp staff at tax year end etc to pick up the slack

I think the main issue here is you have not had a clear answer WHY the business can’t support an uplift in hours and that’s what flex work process will help with

Sorry just read your update so when they took you on an a reduced hours from what was advertised did they ever get anyone else in to make up the full time hours? They must have had budget then so wonder where that went unless they realised someone on a 0.25 contract could do the work and the budget was reallocated elsewhere?

I have been in the job for 12m and it was advertised as 0.8 FTE which is what I would like to do. They absolutely do have the budget for it. A work colleague went off sick in May and I asked if they'd like me to temp increase my hours. Line manager refused saying we'll be fine as her son will be working. I struggled massively for 3 weeks whilst waiting for him to finish uni.

It's probably a budget decision OP. Where I work if you reduce your hours they amend your contract and there's no guarantees about increasing again in the future. Squeezed budgets have meant several people I know being turned down when they asked for more hours as the money had been spent elsewhere.

x-post, sorry

Should I then go straight to the team manager and ask him as if anyone knows about budgets it will be him.

Ultimately, it's up to them - they accepted your request to reduce your hours but they are under no obligation to increase them again if it doesn't suit them to do so.

If your workload is unmanageable on your current hours, then that's a separate issue that needs to be addressed, but increasing your hours is only one of many solutions that they might wish to consider