To ask for advice about flexible working

[Lime8]

I'm pretty sure my flexible working request following maternity leave will be rejected. I want 3 days but reckon that my company will want 5 or at a push 4. Does anyone have any tips or great advice that isn't already online. I've checked out various websites and official guidelines but as far as I see it I don't have any RIGHT to work 3 days and they only have to offer me a full time job, like I was on before. I tried posting in the back to work section but it's slow traffic there!

Any real tips/advice appreciated. Anyone been in this position and got what they wanted?

You need to think about what is going to make sense to your company.

When you request flexible working, at the core of it all you are asking your company to either share your workload out with other staff or hire another member of staff. You have to remember that might not look very appealing at all to them, or it might cost them money.

So try and work on the angles of what that actually gives your company. What are the benefits? How is this going to work for them, practically? What do they get out of you working less hours?

It's all well and good saying - as is true - that flexible working encourages staff retention, but that's not always immediately obvious to management. They can easily just see the hassle it will cause them, and then reject it, as they have every right to do if they have a solid business reason.

Good luck!

you need to address the essential question of who is going to do the hours and therefore work that you can't? For example, in my work place, the current issue is that people want to work 8.30-2.30 - 6 hours straight-full time is 7.5. So benefit of home early each day, but only losing a small amount of pay. Works fine if one person out of 15 wants to do it. But phones still ring till 5 and need answering.

Recent maternity leavers i have encouraged them to think through the issues. For example, wanting to work proper part time - e.g. half the week or day can be seriously considered cos i am happy to advertise for someone to job share. but if someone wants to do 30 hrs a week, the 10 hours are just lost.

It has to make sense to the business. My request for PT was turned down but my company found me another position, different department where I did go back 3 days a week and now do 4.

Can you say what you do? Is there any precedence set?

All my requests have been accepted. 0.5, 0.55 and then starting new post as 0.7 FTE. Think what you want and make your case, often they say yes as they don't want to lose a good employee over a few years of part-time.

You have got to sell it to your company and why it's good for their business.

You also need to explain the benefits to the company of you working less hours. Address the things that are worrying you about going full time in a way that presents them as a problem to the company.

Think of all the pros and cons and list them. Such as being worried that you will be exhausted with full time hours, you present as this working pattern will enable you to focus on your job while at work without being so exhausted that you drop the ball on Fridays (obvs phrased in a more professional sentence).

I'm in same situation OP, also if I may, I wanted to ask if you can submit a flexible working request while on Mat leave? I'm only 19 weeks ATM so want to wait and see how I feel once little one is here