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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think flexible working requests after maternity leave are very rarely granted?

108 replies

NotAnotherNewNappy · 11/09/2012 09:33

I work for the civil service and went back to work three days per week after DD1 was born. This has worked out really well, both proffessionally and personally, and I've always encouraged my friends to at least try to work moreflexibly after having a family.

However, it seems impossible in almost every other sector. All three of my friends who have made requests have had them refused:one works for a police force, one for a charity and one for a major British luxury fashion brand. I am fuming on their behalf. Is it really so bleak out there for working mothers?

OP posts:
DontmindifIdo · 11/09/2012 13:39

Depends on the job and level - all but one of my friends who requested part time got it, the one who didn't is a solicitor specialising in M&A, you can't just put a deal on hold for a couple of days if you're not in the office and you can't really job share in that role.

Everyone else (including other solicitors and a police woman) got their reduced hours, and several dads also got slight changes to hours (going in early and leaving early/going in late & leaving late to do nursery drop off/pick up is a regular one for dads near us).

Lambzig · 11/09/2012 13:41

From my recent experience with my baby friends all going back to work 9 months to a year after baby was born:

1 city banking highflier - asked and got 4 days a week
1 lawyer - asked and got 3 days per week, but company wanted to pick days - was the most formal process and she had to attend a review panel to discuss
1 management consultant - asked and got 3 days a week
1 NHS manager - asked and got three days a week
1 senior professional in an engineering consultanty - went back 2 days per week plus half day at home, moved up to three days a week after 6 months. That company also allows parents to do term time only contracts when children are at school.

Our babies are now 2.5. Not saying working part time hasnt been an issue for some of us in terms of status, but getting the hours we wanted was not an issue.

All of us also have flexibility in hours to make sure we can make nursery pick ups or managed days off if our babies are ill, need doctors too.

Am interested to know if we have just all been really lucky, or if there are different approaches based on how senior women are before they make these requests.

hairytale · 11/09/2012 13:51

I think the public sector generally has pretty good terms IME.

aamia · 11/09/2012 14:52

I'm hoping to get the flexible 'back to work' thingy as my boss did that when she had her baby so not sure how she'd say no tbh! Then I think I don't have a choice probably but to go back at the original hours. Could look for new job though with planned reduced hours, so not stuck at full-time for ever!

Mylittlepuds · 11/09/2012 15:11

I work for a private company and got it.

maddening · 11/09/2012 15:11

I asked (before I took redundancy) I offered 2 options and 1 of these was accepted

Overwhelmedmummy · 11/09/2012 15:12

Mine has been refused so am returning to work soon full time. I am looking for something else though that can accommodate me but it's slim pickings :-(

OwlLady · 11/09/2012 15:15

lots of people i know have been fulltime or no time

CakeBump · 11/09/2012 15:16

I've been refused. I was told I go back full time or not at all Sad. I'm a teacher, although non-UK.

And I get 8 weeks maternity pay the bastards

sparkle101 · 11/09/2012 15:16

I work in retail as a store manager, I asked for flexible working and got it. I also know of five other people (3 in my store as well as me) that have been accepted. Kind of makes me wish I would have asked to do a bit less but may not have got it then.

FreudianLisp · 11/09/2012 15:22

I work in the NHS and my boss was delighted when I asked to drop down to 2 days per week, because our department's budget was about to be slashed by 30%.

Losingitall · 11/09/2012 15:23

I have granted 3 requests in the last 12 months. 30 women work in my business.

I am about to refuse 1.

I am refusing as there is no business benefit and it's not child or carer related- just someone who doesn't want to work Fridays any more.

PurpleAndPoppyWearer · 11/09/2012 15:29

I worked in the IT/high tech sector before DC1 was born and requested to go part-time after maternity leave. (My company and boss were American so this raised eyebrows.)

I only took a 6-month maternity leave as I feared for my job, but they did grant my request to return 3 days a week. It worked perfectly - I worked 3 long days and still checked and replied to email on my off days. But they paid me less money, of course. Five months after I returned, they made me redundant. Sad

Kayano · 11/09/2012 15:30

I got mine granted, but i had a meeting (same day i requested it - they were on it like a car bonnet) and we had to discuss what was best for the business and for me

I asked for mon/wed/fri

and they said we dont need you on friday because its quiet. can you do mon/tues/ wed

and i said i would prefer mon, wed, thurs (due to childcare) if that is possible

they said good compromise and accepted it :D

private sector tech advisor

MrsKeithRichards · 11/09/2012 15:59

The only one I've ever known to be refused was my own! I asked for hours I knew the wouldn't accommodate because I didn't want to go back and their policy stated I had to attempt to go back to keep a proportion of the maternity pay!

ISpyPlumPie · 11/09/2012 16:19

Small private sector firm here and my flexible working request was granted as was that of my colleague (afaik the only ones that have ever been made). Work in an industry that is not traditionally considered to be family friendly either. I do realise how lucky I am to have reasonable and forward-thinking employers.

Proudnscary · 11/09/2012 16:22

I've granted every single flexible/PT working request I've had from returning mums in my medium sized company, private sector.

That's about six in the last two/three years. On the whole, I make it work and see it as a company saving!

The only problem for the rest of the team is that the role tends to then be seen as a PT role iyswim.

janey68 · 11/09/2012 17:11

From what I've seen in my company, there is quite a range of requests, from the very reasonable, which take into account that it's about meeting client and employer needs too, to the downright ridiculous.

So if you hear of people not getting requests granted, remember it doesn't necessarily mean the request was a reasonable one in the first place. I was involved in one once where basically the employer wanted to work tues and thursday because that's when her mum could provide free childcare, oh and she was happy to do a friday too but only up to midday because a friend could mind the baby then. Never mind the fact that Mondays are a key day in terms of meetings and there was no way she could carry out her post effectively without working then.
The written request was obviously a bit more dressed up than that but that was the gist of it: no real attempt to address the business needs.

Of course not all requests are like that, but I wouldn't just assume that if someones request is turned down then it must be the employer being unreasonable

HappyMummyOfOne · 11/09/2012 18:13

I think lots get turned down as they are all about what suits the employee with no thought at all as to the effect on the business. Where its reasonable and there is compromise things are much easier.

thing1andthing2 · 11/09/2012 18:37

I'm at post doc level doing research in a university. I have applied for two brand new jobs since having dc1, both advertised as full time. And I have got both, requesting only to work 3 days a week. I think universities are often quite flexible employers. Although, the job specs required very specific skill sets which I was able to fulfil so maybe I am just lucky that those two jobs came up when they did.

CoolaSchmoola · 11/09/2012 18:40

I got mine :)

catgirl1976 · 11/09/2012 19:09

Agree it's lip service.

And bleak :(

Alligatorpie · 11/09/2012 19:32

I was refused part time work after dd1 was born. At the time I worked or a large non profit which focused on 'women, children and families....'

BlingBubbles · 11/09/2012 19:42

Most of my friends have got it and they are a mix of public and private sector.

My work was very accommodating ( public sector) they allowed me to work from home one day a week. Just had to fill in a form and have a meeting with line manager and HR.

MrClaypole · 11/09/2012 19:54

I think it really depends on a) the employer's willingness to try flexible arrangements b) the type of arrangement the employee requests c) the effort the staff member puts into the request and d) when the employee makes the request.

I requested a jobshare with a colleague and got it because we made sure that none of the 8 business reasons could apply in our case! Basically we waited till the company was in the shit and paying people to leave so that we could say we were saving the company money by going from 2 headcount equivalent to 1 for free!

I am an HR manager and advise on all FW requests - we accept requests from any staff member regardless of whether or not they have kids. I'd say we grant about half straight off, another quarter with some negotiation/tweaks (as the original proposal does not meet business need) and we reject about a quarter despite usually proposing alternatives (e.g requests to not work on weekends which is our busiest time or requests to work at home in a customer facing role Smile).

Unfortunately some requests just cannot be accommodated as they don't work for the business.