to just leave at my normal time?

[Chilver]

My office has mandated training in a certain day. My daughter's (nearly 5yo) first play, where she has lines, is on the same day at 5.15pm. She is very excited and talks loads about me seeing her in her first play. My commute is 1.05mins.

I asked the office director if there was an agenda as yet for the day as I would be gutted to miss the play and want to see if I could leave at 4pm. (It could potentially also be my last day at work for the year). He has responded with a cheery 'the agenda runs from 9am-5pm. Your request cannot be accommodated. Sorry!'

My contracted hours are 9am-4.30pm with flexible start and end times; I work 8am to 4.30pm every day. Could I just leave at 4.30 and hope I get there to at least hear my daughter's part? Or should I stay until 5pm and miss the play entirely. Or just walk out anyway at 4pm??? AIBU to be pissed particularly at his cheery response (he hasn't actually got the detailed agenda from trainer, just a generic block time)??

I literally wouldn't even enter into this. Do NOT ask. You're not at school.

TELL the trainer on the day that you will be leaving at 4.30pm due to child care committtements. And this man sounds like a dick, so I would be leaving and refusing to explain anything to him the next day

That could very well lead you fast track to disciplinary.

No you aren't at school, you are at work and you don't get free reign to do what you like.

I'd leave at 4.30, that's what time you usually work. Any repercussions you can argue you weren't given adequate notice in writing for the change in hours. Better to seek forgiveness than permission sometimes!

Sorry folks, this won't be popular but really, read all this and then tell me are you surprised that bosses and colleagues get fed up with working mums and demands to accommodate our needs?

In my experience dads seem determined to make plays and sports days too... it's not just mums.

" So many posters are ignoring my (many) posts stating that I would never just leave or pull a sickie."

Apologies op I suspect I was one :o point taken, and I think the discussion had moved on to complaining about the advice given by others to an extent, presumably that is what they do!

Definitely speak to your boss about leaving early and get them to confirm it with the office director. Push to leave at 4 as well. The office director is being a dick and as other people have said the last hour will likely be time filler anyway. Your daughter is more important :)

OP I'd question why on earth you are working 'hundreds of hours unpaid overtime' when you could be spending them with your children. Your priorities seem severely skewed.

Don't worry MistressPage, I am technically part time so do most of my overtime on the day I am not in the office when my child is in school. Or overnight when she is in bed!

But you're still working way more than you ought to.

Part-time people classically get taken advantage of and end up working, essentially, full-time hours.

Your workload does sound ridiculous.

Seriously though, unpaid overtime means you are giving up your previous time for free, to make money for other people. Don't you value your time? When you leave this company, they won't give a ha'penny jizz how much extra time you've given them for free. No one will. Stop mugging yourself off and start setting a higher value on yourself!

Precious not previous!

Another option is to just talk to the trainer directly about whether the material can be covered more rapidly. With only three people in the session it may be a real possibility that you can all finish at 4!