Potential Flexible Working agreement?

[Nomorechange]

I joined the DWP as a work coach in January 2020 just before lockdown.

When lockdown hit, I continued working from the office until around June when I worked from home.

Returned to the office when the schools went back in September.

Due to no longer having my previously arranged childcare and no availability at after-school club, I've since taken my lunch at half 2 and worked from home from half 3 til 5. This was possible because I'm trained in a different department where appointments have been via phone only. This is due to change.

This has worked very well until now.

I've just been told that I'll need to be in the office full-time. I was expecting this conversation and I now have to think of my options. My employer is extremely reasonable by the way. I just want to know if my plan would be considered.

I have the option to reduce my hours but I don't want to for financial reasons.

I'd like to propose working in the office full-time over 6 days.

Monday 8:45 - 2:45 = 6 hours
Tuesday 8:45 - 5 = 7.15 hours
Wednesday 8:45 - 2:45 = 6 hours
Thursday 8:45 - 5 -7.15 = 7.15 hours
Friday 8:45 -2:45 = 6 hours
Saturday 8:45 - 5 = 7:15 hours

This would mean my children are only in afterschool club or with a trusted friend for 2 days a week. With family on Saturday.

So far I've found it incredibly stressful on my current plan. No real break as I use it to do the school run. Then when I get home I have to log on straight away.

My timings may be slightly off. Im in a butnof a panic as to what to propose. Do do you think this would be a reasonable request? It would definitely meet the business needs as I'm more than happy to work all Saturdays. It may mean some of my colleagues no longer have to work on a Saturday so it's a win-win situation unless I've missed something? I'm also one of the few staff who are trained in an area where Saturday appointments have been needed more than ever.

Again, my managers are absolutely wonderful. I don't want to do annoy them by requesting staggered hours.

Thank you in advance!

Do you get paid more for Saturdays?

You have nothing to lose by asking.

@RandomMess If its agreed, I'll get no extra pay for Saturdays. I'll lose out on overtime by picking up extra Saturdays but I'd rather keep my full time pay x

I just wondered if colleagues would be happy to miss out on working Saturdays.

@RandomMess Absolutely not! It's within our contracted hours so I could argue that by doing all Saturdays, somebody else would be better off.

I would not agree to somebody working six days a week as a matter of course. I don’t think it is healthy.

Do people usually work saturdays

I think working six days will burn you out quickly. Can you discuss the why of being asked to return to the office full time and ask if there is any scope on hybrid working.

I think you're better off trying to do 4.5 days a week and doing the overtime on Saturdays (obviously not guaranteed)

Why are you so against school clubs?

Even without children a six day week sounds exhausting. But you’d forego a Saturday with your family to avoid school clubs? That seems madness.

I think the pandemic has made you lose sight of what’s normal.

6 days would be tiring. Can you work later than 5pm on the after-school club days?

I think working 6 days a week will be too exhausting. Are you still with your children's dad? Could you both work longer hours a couple of days a week so you can share pick up a couple of days and then use after school clubs on other days?

6 days of almost full time hours each day would be exhausting and more likely to lead to burnout.

Why not use after school club on more days, what do you have against it?

I agree 6 days would be long! I do staggered full time hours iver 5 days,it was approved after my request for part time hours was turned down...3 days per week. I do 3 days per week 9-3pm (no lunch, can drop and pick up DCs) then 2 x longer days 8am-6pm where I rely on breakfast club/DH/grandparents /afterschool. Could that work for you leaving you with 2 full days off?

Sorry if I didn't make this clear before. There's no availability at after-school club for 5 days a week, only 1. My friend can have them on another day. To be honest, I'd much rather work over 6 days. The stress of using my lunch to do the school run and then working from home whilst trying to get the kids fed and entertained has been exhausting.

Are there any childminders who can pick them up? Might be worth asking on a local FB page.

Will there be availability in September for after school club?

Are you a single parent? Is their dad around? If you're working full time does it all need to be on you?

@NerrSnerr only 2 childminders who do pickups. Both fully booked and to be honest, not very good.

I've at the top of the waiting list for afterschool club in September but ther e is a priority list and working single parents aren't at the top. No hate at all, just very frustrating!

Their dad has them every weekend, hence my availability.

I hope that answers your questions!

I have managed staff with various flexible arrangements over the years and there is no way I would approve a 6 day week set up. It's one thing covering it on overtime, but surely where staff are contracted to work on a Saturday they get a rest day during the week instead? I have friends who work 6 days per week, but they're either running their own business or teaching in private schools and get long holidays.
It would be a flat no from me. Your previous childcare may not be available any more, but that doesn't mean it's unreasonable to expect you to find a different provider. Hybrid working could certainly be worth exploring, you could consider long days when you're in the office and shorter days when you're working from home?
Good luck finding a solution that works for you.

You would probably need to factor in at least a minimum of half an hour lunch break each day, so your hours may go down. I recently applied for compressed hours, 10 days over 9, so 1 extra day off per fortnight, but because I work 40 hours a week, I couldn't get the numbers to work around DC, so had to settle for 10 days over 9.5 days.

My employer insisted on me having a minimum of a half an hour lunch break each day; there may be a law around that due to working at least 6 hours, so I'd look into that if I were you.

Sorry cross posted - if there really is no other solution (eg small village with very few providers) then you'll have to consider dropping your hours for the short term, I can appreciate that'll hit financially so not an easy option but as a single parent perhaps you qualify for some support (only what I've gathered from other posts, I'm not speaking g from experience). I cant see your employer approving 6 days, they have a duty of care and to contract you to 6 days would probably be a breach of their policies.

In the same job and I think 6 days a week will be a killer if it's every week. I find the weeks with Saturday working exhausting and I don't have children at home.

You've got young kids, you think it's reasonable to work six days a week, you never see your kids at the weekend and you worry about annoying your employer.

I think your work/life balance is heavily skewed. And not in your favour.

I'd look at going back to 5 days working, and a fixed day (or fixed 2) days off.
I'm guessing you cant work past 5, or on Sundays?
I'm sure you'd have said, but any before school childcare available? Or again, are you tied to office hours?
I think you will struggle with just one day a week off.

The 7.15 days would need to he a minimum of 7 hours and 35 minutes as you legally need a lunchtime after 6 hours.

How long could your friend have the children for? Can you work before 845 and after 5pm? If permitted I'd adjust the hours and have longer days rather than 6 days.

I use a school run as lunch and then do another hour after school and can't say I find it that problematic tbh.

Thank you for all your advice so far.
It didn't occur to me that my employer wouldn't consider me working 6 days with only 1 day off. At the moment, I pick up all the overtime available which is most Saturdays, hence not considering this.

I have a credit card I'm paying off hence the take up of so much overtime.

I know it may not be for some but working 6 days would benefit me by not taking work home 5 days a week. I've been doing it for almost 2 years so my intention is to argue my case.

Also, the 3 days finishing early would mean I can take my boys to the park, shops, extra curricular activities etc.

That said, I've taken all of your advice. I'll sit down and have a rethink.

@ChoiceMummy I included an hour break in the long days. I'd negotiate it to be half hour preferably as I rarely take them! Not through pressure of workload, I just don't like moving from my desk!