Issues with manager while on maternity leave - saying I need to do a full time workload on part time hours

[taye1]

Hi, looking for some advice please.

I’m six months into maternity leave with my second baby and work for the NHS. I’m due to return mid-February and had a phone call with my manager last week that I scheduled myself to discuss whether it would be possible to reduce my hours. I’m contracted for 30 hours over 4 days, but with two small children and a partner who works away all week (home only at weekends), the current setup feels unsustainable—cutting back seems like the only way to avoid burning out.

The phone call did not go well. My manager was dismissive from the start, very blunt and cold. She immediately shut down my request, saying:
my workload would increase, I could not continue with two work-from-home days I had previously and I could not reduce my hours on returning from maternity leave.
L

The main sticking point was her saying that because I requested 30 hours when I applied, the full-time workload would still apply. When I queried how my workload compared to full-time colleagues, she said, literally: “Yes, but you requested to work 30 hours when you applied, so this was you saying you could do the workload in those hours.” To me, that sounds like unpaid overtime.

I rang HR afterwards, who confirmed that this should definitely not be the case. I then emailed my manager formally, outlining my concerns and referencing HR guidance that workloads should match hours. She didn’t reply, but today I got a text saying thanks for my email and asking to schedule a face-to-face meeting. She totally ignored everything I said in the email and this is odd because we’ve never communicated by text before, I feel like she is trying to avoid a paper trail.

I’m now worried about meeting her alone, as there will be no documentation of what’s said. I’m not in a union, and I’ve never had contact with my actual HR advisor, only the person who answered the phone and gave me advice. I try to avoid conflict, but I feel I need to protect myself.

How should I respond, as I would rather do so via email and not reply to her text.

I’d really appreciate any advice on how to handle this.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post!

Email , ‘as per your text of 3pm today, I’d like to to confirm you said insert what she put in the text.
best wishes take

Can you go back to HR and ask them to come to the meeting with you?

Just tell her you contracted to work 30 hours. Not 37. She is clearly one of those.

I’m now worried about meeting her alone, as there will be no documentation of what’s said.

Write up minutes of the meeting immediately afterwards, send to her cc HR and ask her to make any amendments if she feels you didn’t reflect anything fully before the minute are formally agreed,

It is extremely difficult as a manager to cover a service adequately and give everyone the work life balance they want. We are given a specific staffing establishment. If someone drops just one day you cannot employ someone for one day so you end up losing those hours because you have not used them. I have recently had to refuse a request although I did say if they wanted to go halftime and create a job share then I could consider that. It is worse on smaller teams. Bigger teams have more flex with maybe others in team happy to increase hours etc but it is not easy.

@vdbfamily all of that is true but very different to telling someone they have to work more than their hours

I am a bit confused - so, you most recently worked 4 x 7.5 hour days for a total of 30 hours. And now you want to reduce that down? And your manager said no?

I dont think they have to agree to reducing hours. But the thing about doing the same workload in 30 hours as other people over 37.5 is bonkers.

This is why I would not work in the NHS without being in a union. If I were you, I would be joining one immediately and asking for their support.

She didn’t say they had to cover the hours though @Hurumphh but the workload - 2 very different things. It sounds like you can cover the workload in 30 hrs Op but that won’t be possible if you drop further hours.

Agree with PP re responding via email saying ‘as per your text …’ and following the meeting, draft minutes and send to her via email, copying in HR.

It does sound like your request can’t be accommodated due to workload volumes, in which case she is within her rights to decline the request. Sorry Op - can you start looking at other roles within your trust that are truly part-time?

100% - "as per your text", and go on to say that you'd be happy to meet at a date and time amenable to both you and a representative from HR who could hopefully record meeting notes. Do not meet or engage outside of emails.

I’m kicking myself for not being in the union, I’ve worked for the nhs for 12 years and never had any reason to contact them so I guess I didn’t deem it necessary until it’s too late. Yes my main issue is about her saying I signed up to do the full time workload in 30 hours when I applied for job. I thought maybe I’d misheard at first until I got her to clarify what she was saying a further time. The lovely HR lady I spoke to on the phone was just giving me general advice she wouldn’t be my specific advisor and we don’t know each other. Should I email the actual hr advisor (never had any previous contact with her) tomorrow to let her in the loop and is it worth/usual to ask hr to attend the meeting? Just because honestly I dont trust she will be fair. She was so very cold and shut me down that I just ended the call in tears, which is unlike me. I’m not certain of a reply to my manager yet but definitely won’t be responding via text.

1. join your union now. You may be lucky and they will advise you, but they may not - remember most reps are volunteers and have their own jobs too so won’t take on non members or recently joined outside the prescribed period.
2. return your managers text and state she needs to correspond by email not text.
3. write down everything that was said and date.
4. 30 hours a week may be considered full time in some circles but you shouldn’t be expected to have the workload of 37.5 hours. Your manager is being unreasonable.
5. if you want a formal response to your request the only way to do it is put in a flexi working request. It is not your role to explain how it would work for the business (although it’s probably in your interest to do so). It is for the employer to explain why the business cannot accommodate it, but they can say no. Beware of true job-shares where you and your job partner are linked and if one leaves the other may lose their job.

have you generally had a good relationship with your manager? Have you done any kit days?

Plus do remember that HR are there to protect the organisation (hopefully which means ensuring the employee is treated correctly) - they are not necessarily on your side.

Apply for work life balance.
Make sure you do not meet her alone.
Respond to her text via email, CC HR and include a screen shot of text

as a manager nothing makes me sadder than women applying for flexibility on the basis they will do a full time job and get paid for less hours. Men never offer to do this, and it just leads to dysfunctional expectations as you both have now.

i guess the obvious question is what would you manager do with x hours work? Who would do it? If there isn’t a reasonable solution (which can come from you) then why wouldn’t they just reject your flexible working request?

What was your workload like before you went on maternity leave leave, OP? Were you doing 0.8 of a normal caseload?
Your manager does indeed sound bonkers. Can you talk to the Freedom to Speak Up guardian for support?

Workload before going on maternity leave was no different to my full time colleagues (we are PA’s, and have the same roles but support different directorate managers). But now the workload is increasing even more, I feel like now is the time to being this up formally. I’ve mentioned it briefly in the past a few times, but nothing ever changed, manager uninterested. Being on mat leave I feel has just changed my perspective.

our relationship was ok up until pregnancy, I was very ill with HG and even though GP gave me a note to recommend working from home for obvious reasons and occ health recommending the same, she still made me come into the office. I’ve never done 0.8 of a normal caseload, I’ve been in the role 2.5 years.

You probably don’t want to hear this but holding down a (nearly) full-time job with two young children, a partner who isn’t around in the week and an unsupportive manager is going to be very very difficult.

can you maybe get assistance from citizen’s advice or acas if you are not in a union?

Exactly, I know I’m really going to struggle. I wish I could go back to my simple band 3 job with my lovely manager that I had before I took this role!

This charity may be helpful

Home - Pregnant Then Screwed

It feels like there is misunderstanding somewhere. I suspect it was a bit of a compromise you may not have been aware of to agree four days originally so you dropping hours just won’t work for the role - and while you can request flexible working etc - it has to be considered but not necessarily agreed if it doesn’t work for the team. WFH will depend on what the manager of the team feels is needed. There is no entitlement to wfh. Lots of NHS jobs are more office based than other sectors.
Completely agree you can’t do 37.5 hours work in 30 hours!
if you want fewer days and more WFH, may be time to look for something else…..

@taye1 you can print the texts then perhaps scan them in to email to yourself just in case she deletes the texts or just share them to your email. keep a folder just with her emails and texts.

As a manager you’re remunerated for ensuring the workload is covered one way or another. It isn’t the employees responsibility to manage a service adequately, that is yours.

My mind is boggled as to why you agreed and carried out a role for 2.5hrs doing the same caseload as FT colleagues in 7.5hrs less hours a week?! I can't understand how that was something you agreed to and carried out for years tbh.

I agree with everyone else regarding respond only via email etc but also may be worth asking the purpose/subject of this meeting? Did she say what it would be about?

In terms of changing your hours, you need to follow your trusts process for a formal flexible working request. You could still do that however it sounds like your manager will reject the change you want. It also sounds like there might be sound business reasons for that too to be honest, it can be hard (and expensive) to recruit to a position of just one or two days a week which is what your role would leave if you dropped a further day.

But above and beyond all that, if your relationship with your manager is damaged, there's not likely to be an improvement to that. And for that reason alone I think now might be the time to start looking for something that suits you better tbh.

As PP have said, it might be worth seeing if the union will support you if you join now. But anyone else reading this who works in the NHS, you really need to be in a union. You may not need it for years, but if the shit hits.....

OP, as well as pregnant then screwed, you might also try ACAS.

Admin staff are in short supply in the NHS - so if it all goes pear shaped you could always look around for something else.

If there is any private conversation about this with her, follow up asap in writing to confirm what was said/what happened. And then send copies to yourself on your email - email in the system can be accessed.