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

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

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?

I think about 80% of the mothers I know have had requests for part-time hours accepted. It seems to be fairly unrelated to type of organisation/job. I work for a public sector, household name, organisation that you would expect to be good when it comes to flexible working, but turns out is notoriously bad. They have agreed to me doing a compressed week but not any type of part-time hours short of full-time (and I should point out that my job is perfectly capable of being done part-time).

Having spoken to a couple of friends who are employment lawyers, if your request is declined (and your appeal is declined), your remaining option is industrial tribunal with a claim of gender discrimination. So unless you want to burn bridges, you are stuck, even if you would almost definitely win at tribunal, as in my case.

ipswichwitch, your experience highlights the daftness illogical thinking in some organisations... Your request to work part-time has been refused because that would affect the service - presumably they are worried that there's a skills shortage in your specialism, so they'd struggle to find someone to cover your hours... Yet, because you aren't allowed to work flexibly, you are now looking for another job, so soon your employer will be looking for a new member of staff anyway, and without you there to support them when they start...

Exactly flow. I've thought long and hard about this. I would dearly love to go pt, and with the saving we'll make on child care, we can do it. It'll become more of an issue if I manage to get pregnant again. We would be better off me working pt than ft and paying child are for 2 kids

A lot of the requests in my organization are accepted, but I get the impression that some of them are negotiated so that they end up different from the initial request - hopefully so that they still end up mutually acceptable. In our NCT group I know that there was one couple who worked at the same organization and they both requested four days a week - the management refused his request and required her to go to 3 days a week, which I was pretty at on their behalf... A year or more down the line and they're pretty happy with how it's worked out but I must say I think that was in principle shitty and sexist.

Yikes comix! Was HR involved in that or did the manager "gO rogue"?

I have no clue as it wasn't at my place of work so was just part of a general conversation about back to work arrangements... The impression I got was that there was a management decision that they couldn't spare him for a day whereas they could v well spare her for two. Now obv I have no idea about their respective experience levels etc but in principle that sounds pretty rubbish as they did do the same job at the same level I think.

I work for the NHS and every request for a change to my hours has been granted. I've never gone below 30 though. You're entitled to ask once a year, and your employer has to consider it within tge context of the business need.

My husband was granted it. He went to four day week, is now back on five days but "school-run" hours.

This is balanced out I think by the fact he hasn't had a pay rise in six years.