HELP! employer rejected flexible working request

[TTCbaby2x]

Is my only option now to hand my notice in? No alternatives have been offered to me under the request.

No, she wanted to not work (or get paid) on the 4th day and spend it with her child instead.

How on earth did you get ‘work from home while caring for a child’ from ‘only working 3 days a week not 4’?

Call ACAS.

Call ACAS and say what exactly? The employer has done nothing wrong here, they have a business reason why they cannot accommodate this

Why? From everything the OPs said the company have acted according to requirements and there's literally no reason for an ACAS call. Unless they have branches out into providing childcare??

I might ask to drop my lunch and work the 5 hours a day over four days! 8-1 or whatever and put your DC in nursery 4 mornings instead of 4 full days. Would that be possible?

Yes basically they're throwing it back to you to decide, either resign or find another source of childcare. I had the same situation when my flexible working request was refused and I ended up finding a childminder near work for some of my days and a childminder near home for other days, until I managed to get a nursery place that covered all of it (and changed jobs to a more flexible one). You might find there's childcare options you hadn't thought of because they're less convenient but could be ok temporarily. The main thing I learnt from it is that childcare needs are very temporary as they change constantly as your child grows. Your workplace is being very shortsighted really. I left for another job as soon as I could too because it made me realise they didn't value me as an employee.

Then they’ve rejected the request for operational reasons as they need someone to do four days a week. Which they’re perfectly entitled to do. Can you not compromise and organise reduced hours over the four days to the benefit of both you and the employer ?

Are there any other part-time workers you could sound out as being interested in another days work?
Seems odd that they will agree to you going down to 3 days but won't commit to set days - that sounds like they are trying to make you leave.
Do you belong to a union at all? Might be worth joining one so you can get solid advice and support over employment issues.

It sucks, but it can make sense for the business to need your role filled 4 days a week, not 3.

If you leave, they might even employ a replacement working 5 days, who knows.

It would be odd if they suddenly realised you were not needed for the 4 days you are currently employed?

Why would she do that ? The employer can’t comply with her request for operational reasons. There’s nothing wrong with that. OP’s next move should be to look at the possibility of organising the reduced hours she wants over four days so that both parties benefit. Alternatively maybe OP could talk to other employees with a view to some kind of job share.

Don't worry - it's a MN obsession because the very occasional person does just that.

It's a form of sexism - women are too stupid to arrange childcare when they work.

If your employer won't agree to 3 (fixed) days you either need to leave or find the extra day's childcare.

You could ask them to put out a communication to see if another member of PT staff wants to increase their hours by a day. Or ask around yourself.

Ultimately in answer to your OP question, yes if a suitable arrangement can't be negotiated then your only option is to resign. You have the right to return to your job on the same terms as you had before, you don't have the right to insist on new terms that don't suit the employer.

They have said they would be happy for you to work at 0.6fte but they need that to be across 4 days minimum. So start from there and work out something that you could live with. Could DP drop half a day and you work just half a day on day 4, working slightly longer hours on days 1-3 to make up the hours? Or could you do a reciprocal arrangement with another toddler mum where she takes your baby fir day 4 and you look after hers on day 5? It takes effort to find solutions and yes resigning is the only alternative in the absence of such effort.

I think as well that some people assume flexible working = WFH when actually it can mean various things - dropping hours as with the OP, doing the same hours over fewer days, doing the same hours over more days etc.

Oh i’m sorry OP. I have a similar request rejected when I returned from work after DC1. I did end up leaving and it took me a few months to find a genuine 3 day a week job but I had to accept that it wasn’t my “ideal” job and a slight step down. Saying that, it massively improved my mental health, took a lot of pressure off and offered me lots of stability and flexibility. I’ve now moved up to a much more senior position at the same company which would never have been an option at my old work place. Sometimes it is better to quit while you’re ahead and look for something that genuinely works for you.

I think your question is really about whether the right to request flexible working has any more bite than just the right to make the request, which sadly it doesn't. There is no obligation on the employer beyond considering the request, and if they decide it can't be accommodated for business reasons, that's that. It's not like a grievance where you would expect to have a right of appeal, or for there to be certain basic outcomes that you're entitled to.
So yes, if that doesn't work for you you will have to leave and look for something that does.
Good luck

It still doesn't say in the OP that she wanted to WFH.

Was that an apology to the OP I heard... 👂

Is the child's dad able to reduce a day a week? Or compress hours? Can you compress hours?

Surely rather than giving up your job, you look for childcare for the 4th day.

If your existing can't do 4 days (why is that?), then look for another provider that can? Either keep the 3 days you have plus one day with another provider or move across to a provider that can offer 4 days per week. (I'm sure now you're going to say you live a place where there's only one childminder or nursery in a 50 mile radius -common, apparently, on Mumsnet, but not something that anyone I know in real life in various locations across the UK has ever come across). You could also ask to swap childcare timings to 2 full days plus 2 half days if that's what your work are saying they can accommodate?

Take annual leave 1 day per week whilst you wait for the new childcare to kick in.

I had to resign from my job after my maternity leave, as my flexible working hours request was refused. Ultimately, it made no sense for me to pay for more childcare, as it made working pointless. Financially we pulled out belts in, and managed on my husband's salary, until my son started school. I then found a different job that fitted around him. Of course, I appreciate not everyone is in that position, and some have no choice but to work.

@TantrumsAndBalloons
@Rosscameasdoody
Because they can advise OP on their options and next steps. OP can discuss in more detail the exact circumstances vs on here where they can only share part of the story.
If childcare is the issue, how long for? Could this be changed to a temporary arrangement or a trial. ACAS can advise. Vs the people saying they have to leave their job without exploring all the other options.

And we're already making shit up...

It's tricky, as in my company we need people to be present for a certain number of days per week to do the job. For example, dropping to 3 full days would be rejected, but 4 or 5 half days would be more likely to be accepted. So their feedback seems fair on the face of it.

Is there any option for you to work a half day on the 4th day, if that makes it any easier to secure childcare? Or perhaps split that 3rd day into 2 half days so that you're present for 4 days but on the reduced hours?

Hard to say without knowing the details of your employment. Clearly they feel that they need the hours of "cover" for business demands.