To be conflicted over this decision

[lemonss]

I manage a small team of about 6 people. All the team are part time and as such their hours are specifically chosen to cover me at all times (not a choice of mine I inherited the team like this).

We had a new starter in January who agreed to work specific hours. A couple of weeks in he asked if he could change hours so that he could finish earlier. In January I was told that this could be done so offered for him to start and finish earlier.

He has now come back to me and asked if he could split his hours over more days and work about 3-4 hours a day.

Now I really like this person. They are a fantastic worker and have fitted in with the team really well. They are good at their job and have a lot of experience.

However I'm worried about whether I should grant this request. Personally I'm a bit put out that they agreed to hours then asked to change them, then when changed have asked to change them again. Will this become a pattern? I also as stated above have very specific hours to make sure I'm covered and this is going to potentially cause some issues with that but nothing major.

On the flip side I understand the reasons that he is asking for a change is to cover school hours and a partner getting a new job.

My manager has said it is my decision and I'm finding it really tough.

AIBU to find it hard to come to a decision? Is it clear cut situation?

Take a hit!

@MrsT75

Something to consider: the others in the team may really wish to change their hours, they have been there the longest. I think it would be unfair to them if you agree to his request without offering them flexible working first! I would be really annoyed!!

Exactly. I'd be peeved. He's still on probation, FFS, and already acting so entitled.

I'm wondering whether I've missed something. Is there a reason your employee can't do project work over split hours? If I've understood correctly, he'd be doing the same hours split into chunks. Most people work much better with breaks in between focused work so this wouldn't usually be a reason not to give someone project work.

I'd also be concerned about the pressure on the rest of the team if this employee is having an easy life doing back end admin while they cover the project workload. It could create resentment.

One other thought. If you do agree to the request, you could add that the business will request occasional flexibility with the potential requirement to work on x day(s) with some notice. This would cover the issue of annual leave. Your HR department/advisor would be able to provide the best wording.

I would ask how long he needs this new arrangement & if it is to deal with homeschooling then agree it for X weeks on the basis he will return to the previously agreed hours. Could that work for now?

But will your staff be happy to swap their back office work for his project work? Will he be paid the same for doing the less pressured work?

This will cause resentment in the team.

And I wouldn't entertain the suggestion by a PP that you say yes but that you need occasional flexibility on a Thursday and Friday. Once in place, he won't. He'll just say no and then you'll be stuck trying to get cover.

I'm all for flexibility in the work place but this is crazy when there are clear business needs which mean it won't work. You seem happy to sacrifice yourself and your team for this one person that's been in post a matter of weeks.

It's absolutely fine for managers and employees to have informal discussions and make changes to hours.

However, if this employee has submitted this request formally as a request for "flexible working" under the relevant legislation then there is a statutory procedure you need to follow when considering it and making a.decision. You don't have to agree to every request, but if you don't follow the procedure or decline a request for inappropriate reasons you may be acting unlawfully.

@Haffdonga

The job itself is based on projects with tight deadlines. As such it would mean that I could never assign him a project anymore as it just wouldn't be achievable in the times he would work

For this reason the answer has to be no. He couldn't do the job he was employed to do.

I agree with this.

Also, his DC won't be at school now, will they? So he is asking this for March. Which gives him enough time to sort other childcare arrangements.

Infants are going back next week in Wales. In case that’s relevant.

Why can't they pay for wrap around care like everyone else?!

You can only base you decision on what's permitted within your team.

You have almost unanimous consensus that it would be wrong to accept his request. Just because another team allows it, doesn't mean it's the right decision.

You need to have the confidence in your own decisions and your knowledge of how your team works.

The fact that recruitment would be needed to accommodate the request seems even more ridiculous.

As a PP points out, many other working parents have to work around this with wrap around care.

If you're changing his job description to accommodate his request, it's not a reasonable change and may cause you problems if he then leaves.

I'm sure you're excellent at your job, but your indecision on this is why some posters are questioning your leadership skills, hard as that may be to hear. It may also be why your manager won't authorise the office being unattended, unlike the other team.

Why not fire him and recruit someone suitable for the job? If he’s still on probation that shouldn’t be a problem, right? This isn’t going to get any better, only worse over time. If he wants to dictate his own schedule he can start his own company.

I have to say if I asked my boss for additional budget to recruit to cover a new team member who was making their second Flexi request within weeks of starting they'd laugh me out of the room. Unless there were extremely extenuating circumstances we just wouldn't have the money

@Lostinthemail

Why not fire him and recruit someone suitable for the job? If he’s still on probation that shouldn’t be a problem, right? This isn’t going to get any better, only worse over time. If he wants to dictate his own schedule he can start his own company.

Not relevant to this case (started in Jan) but the right to request flexible working kicks in after 26 weeks - which may be sooner than the end of a probation period.

If an employer then fires someone for making a statutory (legally protected) request for flexible working they may find themselves in deep trouble.

I suggest any employers here read the ACAS guidance on considering flexible working requests...

www.acas.org.uk/acas-code-of-practice-on-flexible-working-requests