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 unless she is going to teleport from her place of work and back to your hous and vice versa, she will be with you from

10 am - 1.30 pm (assuming by the time she leaves the building where she works and gets to yours) - 3.5 hours

and 4 pm to 5pm - 1 hour

Hardly the majority of the day is it...

This is funny.

No OP, you can’t work for four hours and get paid for 7.5 for three of your five working days.

Christ!

??

What on earth are you talking about?!

I got it! 🙋🏼‍♀️

And where is she going to do this? At your house while you work? How big is your house coz I guarantee your child will come looking for you once they've twigged you're in the house. If I were your boss I would absolutely 100% reject this request as you'll take the piss.

To add, it sounds incredibly stressful for your mum

Are you expecting to be paid for a full day or just 10-2 on the days you ‘work’ from home?

What is your job OP it may help provide context

What was the plan when you went on maternity leave? I'm assuming you can afford the childcare you are just hoping to save a bit by not using it?

Total pisstake.

wfh =/= childcare

HR always say this. But it's not about other employees it's about your employer recognise that you have additional responsibility and it's temporary.
I would challenge your employer and but your family's new needs first

You can't wfh while also looking after a baby.

No employer will allow this.

This can't be real. What are your contracted hours? I'm guessing not 10-2 for three days a week?!

Sorry but you have a contract to work a set amount of hours and in this time work should be your sole focus.
Can you do work in an evening to make up time your mum can't cover without it affecting others at work,? If not I agree with HR they aren't paying you to look after your child.

What does your mum earn for the 2 hours she works and would it be easier for you to pay her than to pay a nursery . Your current proposal does sound like it’s all about what you need and not what’s good for the business .

Honestly it's this kind of crazy carryon that makes me so cross. It drags down the reputation of working mothers everywhere.
No it's not reasonable to expect your employer to pay you while you look after your baby.
Even if they give you some days there will be a clause saying you may need to be flexible and come in depending on business need. You need to sort childcare

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

Well yes, but unless 10 until 2 is all the hours your employers require you to work it's not going to help much is it?

Childcare issues - including the associated costs - aren't their responsibility, and since you've already been told no, the only real option seems to be to look for another job

At my work, if they found out you were doing childcare while WFH, except as an exceptional emergency, you would be called back to the office and WFH revoked. It’s not fair on your colleagues or your child, both end up suffering.

You can't WFH and look after your child.

In the kindest way, if your request to your employer is this confusing, I'm not surprised they've declined.

Whoever is providing it & whatever it costs, the upshot is you don't have childcare for the average full-time job. Unfortunately that's not your employer's issue.
Whatever way you carve it with you mum's working hours, you are not available to work a whole day those days if she can only "help" a few hours a day.
So I'm not surprised your WFH request was declined.

Can you concentrate on other options - compressed hours, reduced hours for a period of time?

And stating the obvious here, if you have a partner I'm hoping that their income / job is included in the mix of working out what you can afford?

You've been silly. Why on earth is your childcare their problem? Whenever you hand in a flexible working request you need to link it back to your role and also consider the way in which it affects the business. This kind of request is always likely to be denied. I have a 16 month old and my dh often wfh, there is simply no way he could do his job to the best of his ability and take care of her. It would be downright dangerous.

I can totally appreciate you are in a difficult position but when people put in silly requests like this it gives wfh a bad name.

What hours are you contracted to work on your proposed wfh days?

If it's anything other than 10-2 YABU.

Why can't you pay your mum the equivalent of what she is going to be earning to help every day?

Surely that is the best option?