Work flexible hours, AIBU in renegotiating what I have already negotiated

[Needallthesleep]

I’m due to start a new job, where I was clear during the interview process that I couldn’t do their core hours (because of childcare pick up) and if successful I would need to come to some arrangement to flex on the core hours.

I was successful in getting the job, and have negotiated a very slightly shorter working day, and a shift in hours so I arrive earlier and leave earlier. I’m still doing a full time working week.

I’ve now realised (I know I know, I have no idea why I didn’t look at this properly during the negotiation of hours, I’m an idiot) that I will have to actually leave 5 minutes earlier than I thought. I am also happy to come in even earlier to counterbalance the 5 minutes. It’s due to train times, and is central London so there isn’t an alternative way to get home quicker.

I’m a huge worrier so the thought of telling them I will need an additional five minute flex is making me lose sleep. Am I completely overreacting and it won’t be or AIBU to ask for a bit of extra flex?

For context it is a leadership role in a head office.

I'm interviewing a lot of candidates at the moment. People who come back after an offer with further requirements are frankly a PITA. I wouldn't want to recruit a leader who hasn't worked out what she will be able to arrive at/leave work so I would assume you are either trying it on or not suitable for the role.

I’m sorry love, but if you can’t work out what time you need to leave work to pick up your child, are you really ready for a leadership role?

I don’t think five minutes is going to make a huge difference either way. Just be straightforward and professional about asking (and make sure you’re definitely right about it this time!)

All you can do now is ask

You'd get a no from me. I'd have worries about your time management and organisational skills.

They wouldn't bat an eyelid at my workplace, so long as your working hours are worked.

Are you serious? Very few leadership roles can guarantee you leaving on time in any case and it's not very fair on the staff below to have a manager who works unusual hours which makes them often uncontactable. Looks like you'll have to find childcare or ask your partner to change their hours (if you have one).

What is the time change, 4:20 to 4:15 sounds a lot less bother than 4:00 to 3:55 (as you would need to leave 3:00-4:00 meetings early). The latter feels like you are going to be difficult.

Well, yes, you should have thought it through properly earlier and it might raise a few eyebrows if you go back and renegotiate, but at the end of the day, it's only five minutes. As a manager, I would be mildly irritated that you hadn't worked it out properly before, but - assuming no major operational implications - I'd be happy to agree to the new arrangement.

I think you should apologise profusely for the initial miscalculation and ask for the working pattern you need. It's possible that they could get really arsey about it, but if they do, is it really the environment that you want to work in?

Are you single? Can your partner amend their hours a bit?

To be honest, if 5 minutes is going to make such a huge difference it doesn't sound like the role for you.

I've never come across a leadership role that allows you to leave on time every day, if any day.

It's only 5 mins, I think it will be fine.

For a leadership role, are they really going to be clock watching you to that extent anyway?

If the time you have to leave is very dependent on train times, potentially you'll want to change them every time the timetable does?
If this is a leadership role in head office I highly doubt anyone will be watching your every move and even notice what time you go. And it's also likely that you will find yourself working from home in the evening and/or coming in early any way, so the 5 minutes is neither here nor there.

I wouldn’t even mention it unless someone mentions. One of the ‘perks’ of leadership is that clockwatching ends. (Goes both ways though in my experience you can’t always leave on time either!)

Is it a dealbreaker for you on taking the job? I can't envisage a leadership role where you don't have the flexibility of five minutes. Is it a job where, you can down tools and just leave, no matter what's going on around you?

What kind of leadership role abides by core hours?

As PP says, it depends if the 5 minutes would cut into reasonable meeting times. Changing 4.20 to 4.15 really wouldn't matter, so just ask, but moving 4 to 3.55 will look odd. I'm more worried about your planning that doesn't allow extra time for the train delays, I hope you aren't hoping to travel on Southwest nor Southern? It's vanishingly rare for all their trains to stay on schedule.

What is your plan with the daycare if you're late, would it not be easier to just pay for half an hour of extra care each evening to save the stress and the rush? Cheaper too if you'll be facing punitive charges by the minute for train delays.

I'd be worried about train delays etc for such a tight schedule. Have you got back up plans for school pick up etc if delays happen?

Agree re train delays. I commute and there’s no way I’d rely on trains if I had to pick up from school! I had a nanny so we knew the dcs would be home if (when!!!) the trains were screwed

Very few leadership roles can guarantee you leaving on time in any case and it's not very fair on the staff below to have a manager who works unusual hours which makes them often uncontactable.

I hate this kind of attitude. The workplace needs to adapt in order to facilitate people with caring responsibilities occupying leadership roles. A failure to do so will mean that organisations lose out on lots of talent while perpetuating the gender pay gap.

I suspect there are actually very few leadership roles where you need to be constantly available. I am a senior manager and worked very flexibly when my dd was younger. My (male) boss works flexibly too. Several of the managers who report to me need to work flexibly too - and many of the non-managers too. They are all brilliant at what they do and we're happy to accommodate.

I used to leave early some days to collect my dd from school. I had my mobile if anything urgent cropped up, and my team knew that they could contact me if required. To be honest, I was probably more accessible to my team at those times than when I was at work, as so much of my time is spent in meetings. I used to do a bit extra work from home in the evenings if I couldn't finish everything during the day.

We need to move away from the culture of presenteeism and focus on what needs to happen to get the job done. In my experience, employees who are able to work flexibly tend to be much happier and more willing to be flexible in return when we need them to be.

Having that tight a schedule would worry me.

How can you be so precise that you can calculate to within 5 minutes your leaving time? Did you time exactly how long it takes you to pack up, gather your belongings, leave the building, walk to the station etc? Surely any number of small things could occur along the way that could eat into those 5 minutes?

I would have given myself a decent buffer between finishing work and catching my train. Even if work let you finish 5 minutes early it doesn't mean you will leave then does it? What if a phone call over runs or someone catches you as you are about to leave or something?

AlexaShutUp completely agree.

And words in italics are so patronizing - no need for them!

I would ask but be very apologetic about it.

It's a difficult one. I really hate non-flexible approaches to work. I've worked lots of overtime in the past (coming in early, working through lunch, leaving late, etc.) but for some bosses flexibility only works in one direction - the employer's.

You will have problems if you don't have a backup plan for picking up children in the event of train delays and cancellations.

Is this a job that you can do some work from home? If you leave some tasks until later in the evening, probably no one will mind. It is usually about getting the work done and being available at reasonable times when people need you there. If you are in a leadership role, other people will copy you, so the workplace would need to trust that you are pulling your weight if they need to defend you.

Oh god, don't be 'very apologetic'! That really will lose you all respect before you've started!

I would briefly mention it in passing. It's 5 minutes! Just say "Oh the train times have shifted slightly."