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?

So you want to work part time on the days your mum can help? Becuase you cannot work full time. Will the reduced pay not be an issue?

Are you planning to take your baby to the office too? If not then please think again about how you plan to work from home with a baby

If you can't afford childcare then you'll need to reduce your hoiirs so you only work when your mum can have your child or quit work.

So you're proposing to only work 10-2 on those days?

I'm working from home with a 1 year old at the moment until the end of the month, when childcare starts.

It's hell. We both end up crying and screaming, most days. Do anything to avoid this. It's not manageable. Something suffers: your work or your child, sometimes even both. The only thing keeping me going is the thought that soon I'll have childcare.

The majority of the day isn’t good enough. You need childcare to cover all of the hours you are expected to work, and you are expecting to be paid for.

Why do people think they can wfh with a child around!?!?! You still need full time childcare on the days you wfh I’m not surprised HR have pushed back!

What a piss take. You can’t work from home whilst looking after a baby.

Then you and dp/dh need to sit and work out a new plan.

Both of you can get the tax free childcare element with work, then cost up nurseries vs childminders, then run all your info through a benefit calculator (with estimated childcare costs) to see if you would be entitled to any UC.

Then, you and dh could go back to your employers and request an 4 day week (condensed hours or 0.8 contract) so that leaves only 3 days for paid childcare.

If you are a lone parent then the State will support with childcare costs up to 85% of the bill.

10-2 is hardly the majority of the day if you work 7.5hr days!

Can I work from home to reduce doggy day care fees ?

Sorry OP welcome to the world of juggling!

Working from home means working, not getting paid to look after your baby.

How on earth do so many people have babies without thinking about childcare?

So you will only be working 10am to 2pm those days right?

I know someone who has legit done this

Your HR are correct.

You cannot work effectively with a new born.

Also, other staff will be paying for childcare so they'd be opening the floor gates.

I'm a very relaxed manager and treat my staff like adults in the sense that as long as they deliver I generally don't keep tabs on them but I would refuse this request.

YANBU and you can work whilst childcare but MN will tell you it's an absolute no!

Can I work from home to reduce doggy day care fees ?

Probably, if your employer is generally okay with working from home. I wouldn't care if one of my staff had a dog at home while they were working. I would care if it was a baby or child.

You're not asking to WFH though, you're asking to work part time and receive a full time salary,

You need to request part time hours or pay for more nursery,

Have you checked how much childcare help you'll get via universal credit? It can be quite generous.

Also, er where is your partner in all this? Sounds like he is contributing zero to Monday to Friday childcare?

Yes you definitely CANNOT expect your workplace to entertain this. WFH is not looking after a baby and trying to do work in between them needing you - not how it works. If you can only afford to send DS to nursery 2 days a week presumably you need to ask for part time hours to work around this or find a job that pays more to pay for the childcare

Why on earth would your employer care if you had a dog at home with you! How utterly bizarre

10-2 is only 4 hours out of the working day. By the time you have done handovers it would be less than 50% exclusively working. If their business requires 3 or more office days then they can decline your proposal.

I know right 😂
Some people say their dog is their “baby” but it’s not actually the same

There is a crazy poster who comes onto these threads (forgotten the username), claims she works from home with no childcare, earns around £100k and attends loads of activities with her child.

It's rubbish and she was called out, but just in case she shows up, take it with a pinch of salt!

I think you’re asking 2 different things:

1. can I WFH and look after my child? No, and no employer will allow you to to that.

2. can I WFH to allow me to work part time from 10am - 2pm. You need to put a flexible work request in and ask what they say.

Some things just go over peoples heads on MN

Your options here are to request a reduction in hours inline with the childcare you have available.

Or condense hours with your OH so both working 5 days in 4 so that then you only have to pay for 3x full days of childcare.

Or pay for 5 days of childcare and work your time as per your contract.

As a manager, I would also refuse someone asking to work from home with the expectation that half of their working hours will also be spent looking after a baby. No meaningful work is going to come out of those hours.

I'm flexible with my staff and also understanding that there might be an odd day that someone works with a child at home due to sickness/school closures etc but I would also be firm if I felt someone was taking the mick with that flexibility.