Flexible working request- anyone have pros and cons to each option?

[Christina43]

I am going to put in a flexible working request. I am a single mum to young children and currently finish early 1 day a week to collect them from school and make the hours up over the week.
i initially was going to request to finish early a second day a week and do longer hours. I’m lucky that my parents collect my children on the 4 days after school.
then I got thinking that maybe fully compressed 4 days would be better and that way I would have a full day off a week.

ive overthought it now and can’t work out what’s actually better. Any thoughts?

either 4 days a week 8-6 and off 1 full day and can collect kids from school 1 day
or
Finish early 2 days a week and can collect them 2 days

I’m a single mum and prefer to finish early two days personally, but I don’t have family to help with pick ups so it might feel a bit different to you? A day off is lovely if it works out well as you can catch up on all the house jobs and leave more quality time at the weekend (plus you get a bit of time to yourself!).

I'd go for the compressed hours and full day off if you can get help with the school pick ups on the four days. That way you will get time to yourself. And enjoy it! single mum to little ones is hard going. Plus you still get to do one pick up.

I do get 1 night and every other weekend where kids go to their dads so I do have a bit of free time to myself. Finding it hard to decide

How about you put both options down on the flexible working request and say I'm happy to do this or this.

I do get 1 night and every other weekend where kids go to their dads so I do have a bit of free time to myself. Finding it hard to decide

Is it that you would rather be there for the pick ups then, and have enough time to yourself already? I would take the extra day, to do all the laundry and home stuff, admin etc, that way you get a free weekend every other weekend.

You should also think about school holidays - will the compressed hours feel too much in the holidays? Or would the extra day off feel nicer in the holidays? It depends as well if you think you might get bored on the day off or would enjoy it.
Also you could think about commuting time and costs.

I think working compressed hours and then having to squeeze all your normal evening things into a smaller period of time will be tough going.

I'd rather have 2 afternoons after school with my children. Particularly when they are not with you EOW anyway. Otherwise on the weeks they are with their dad, you'd scarcely see them at all.

I wouldn’t work 8-6 four days a week to have one day off. Those are such long hours and then everything is a rush around that. Given what you said about the kids with their dad I’d do a 9 day fortnight so extra hours more spread out over two weeks with the full day off on the Friday before the weekend I had the kids to ensure I can get all jobs done to enjoy the weekend with them.

I'd rather have a full day off a week. It also helps massively during the school holidays as you have a full day less that you need to find/pay for childcare. I added up that my kids are off school for 15 weeks a year, which is quite a lot!

If you parents or kids dad are available to take/pick up from holiday playschemes I would compress. One less day to find cover for during the school hols.
If they are not, then I'd do the early finish 2 days a week.
Does it make much financial impact if you reduce your hours by say 10%. I did that too at one stage and the difference in money wasn't noticeable

Split the difference - one early finish as now, one midday finish so you have 12-3 to yourself?