Reclaiming childcare costs

[BobbinUp]

I am interested to hear views. I work for large corporate professional services company at first level management grade. I do four days a week Mon - Thursday. Last week a client meeting was set for a Friday due to diary conflicts and I was asked if I could arrange to go. We nanny share and by pure chance our nanny was doing an extra day for the others so I could join in on that. My director suggested I might day swap but thats quite complicated due to childcare arrangements and I thought it might be an opportunity to show I can be flexible and go over and above so said I wouldnt! However it cost £36 in childcare fees and I was planning on expensing these. I have spoken to our accounts team who say its not unusual but I need line manager sign off. Line manager is diff to person above and has agreed to sign off but expressed suprise at my plan. AIBU to claim this? Feel a bit gutted my effort to show I am committed to being flexible has somewhat backfired!

I've always thought that the emergency childcare thing was a bit of a con - "if we need you, then we have arranged for your child to go to a stranger".

Much as I hate to be the voice of doom, in my experience, your career is stalled while you're working part time. They make all the right noises and will usually agree flexible working requests but when it comes to promotion or interesting jobs, you're out the picture.

The business model is based on people putting in 60 hour weeks and that hasn't changed.

my company as done this - if they arrange training on a day I dont work ...why not - it costs me to do it

My work pays childcare expenses if you're required to work outside of your contracted hours - but it has to be that you were required to do so.

mandy I am in the city but commute a fair distance out and also nanny share which halves costs. It wasn't a full day either as I left at half 7 and was back for half 2 which was another reason not to day swap. As before a day swap doesn't help costs so makes no difference to me.

I did actually attend a training course recently which ran three days over a Friday. I didn't claim any costs back then as figured it was my choice to attend training and also benefitted from it so obviously not appropriate. Also it meant I couldn't get home for dc so DH had to step in and our nanny worked later one eve but I really wanted to do the course. I know my career is doomed for the moment but I have a lot of experience with my firm, do a lot of client facing stuff and think I do ok if given the chance. I just want to stay static for the moment, don't expect bonuses or pay hikes until I actually get a whole nights sleep and don't have the responsibility of two small dc. They will be grown up soon enough and I would like to have opportunity for the "second wind" that according to some happens! It's seems so hard to return to work after an extended break and we probably couldn't afford it anyway. I will probabaly be working for another 30 years!

IMO it is sexism that causes travel costs to be a claimable expense for a one-off meeting of this sort and childcare costs not to be. They are both the out of pocket costs of getting the person to where you have demanded they be!

My employers always agreed to cover additional (receipted) childcare costs when I worked outside my hours. There were a number of occasions when I swopped days to accommodate the demands of the job, and it was taken as read that I should not be out of pocket for being flexible and conscientious.