To request WFH after Mat Leave ends

[Workdilemmahelp]

Hello, just want some thoughts & advice:

Before mat leave I was working in the office 5 days a week, in my final month of pregnancy I worked from home full time (was advised by HR due to working in healthcare/covid risk)

I am due to return to work in a few months and previously emailed in to see if I could WFH 3x a week, and office x2 due to nursery costs - I can only really afford to send DS twice a week. My mum is able to help look after DS on days I WFH, but cannot help full time as she also works mornings and late afternoons.

HR have said it is not fair on other staff and to work effectively I would need to be in the office more days than I WFH.

AIBU? What can I do?

Unfortunately you don't have any choice. Do what boss request or look for another job.

You can't wfh with a baby around!!! I'm a great fan of wfh if done properly and while it's OK to say you want to do it (doesn't mean they have to say yes) so you can make nursery/childminder drop-offs and collections more feasible, you can't ask for it so you don't need childcare!

Also, if you are thinking of working at home with your child, one or the other will lose out(you can't really do both at the same time)

Sorry if deny WFH if I knew your child was at home too. Can you request to reduce/compress your hours? Otherwise could your mum help with nursery fees? Look for a child minder, they’re often cheaper? Child’s father work part time/reduce hours? Otherwise request some unpaid leave whilst you find a new job?

I think part of the problem is you want to wfh to care for your child. This is a big no no at my organisation and many others

If your contract states your place of work is the office that's where it is. The company have no requirement to grant perminement wfh

You need to find a home based job and work out your childcare arrangements

You can’t work from home with a child under your care, which seems to be the plan. Deeply unfair on the child and your colleagues.

It's reasonable to ask to WFH but not if you're asking so that you can undertake childcare. You won't be able to work properly while looking after such a young child.

WFH isn’t generally compatible (or permitted by employers) with looking after a young child. You either have to find more affordable childcare, try and compress your hours or look for a new job.

My mum will be looking after DS on days I am WFH - due to her work hours she can help out between 10am and 2pm - hence I can’t leave DS with her to go work in the office (unless it’s on reduced hours)

WFH can never be a substitute for child care, that's not what it is for. You company are correct in instructing you to return to the office, unless WFH was offered as part of your contract?

It’s tricky, could you do compressed hours on those days and make them up when your child’s in nursery/when your partner/child’s father compresses or reduces their hours?

So are you saying you’d only be able to work 10-2 on your days from home or are you planning to “work” and look after your child for the rest of the time?

Can you request 3 days office 2 days home. If you are really intending to use wfh as childcare then if you tell HR that they will just say no. Maybe say it is to facilitate drop offs and pick ups. Get Mum to help as much as possible and maybe 1 day a week in nursery? Or do they offer condensed hours?

Are you working only 10-2 on the days your mum is around?

WFH is not so you can save money on childcare
If you are working the baby will need to be in childcare even if at home

Does everyone else have to go in 5x week or do they have option to wfh? Did you tell your company about the childcare situation?

@Workdilemmahelp

so who will look after the child 9-10 and 2-5?

wfh is not to provide childcare

Your mother is only able to "help look after" your child, so you'll be trying to do childcare and work at the same time.

You can't WFH while doing childcare. Your boss and HR are absolutely right to say no, because it's unfair on colleagues.

So you’re effectively telling your employer you’d like to WFH, but only actually be available for work between 10-2, but I presume you’re expecting to be paid for a full day?

YABU

What was your plan to do when you first got pregnant? As if you only wfh in the last month of pregnancy, surely before that you were expecting to go into the office 5 days a week?

Do you have a partner, can you not afford childcare between you? Have you looked at childminders.?You can’t leave a baby unattended while you work.

You either haven’t explained your request properly here, or you’re massively taking the piss - and frankly making the perception harder for people who genuinely want to work from home..

That does sound like there's at least some time when you'd be working and looking after your child. My company don't allow this for children primary age and younger (although they have turned a blind eye in emergencies I'd certainly never get away with it regularly). If you are really only working 4 hours on those days is that all you're contracted for? Even if so, while it's legal as less than 6 hours a lot of companies wouldn't like someone doing that without a break, and a large part of it would be when others are taking lunch making meetings tricky.

You aren’t asking to wfh 3 days a week though you are asking to work while doing full time childcare of a baby which is totally unreasonable and I’m not surprised your company didn’t want to entertain it.
Working from home still means WORKING which you cannot do with a baby or toddler.
People like you give wfh a bad name.

*my mum only works 8-9:30 and 2:00 - 3:30 so is still able to look after DS for the majority of the day.

initial plan was my mum would do childcare 5x per week, but then she got this job