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?

Why settle for mediocre

She’s basically scamming a salary!

Same. I'm amazed by this thread, but I guess if people think they will get away with it they'll crack on and in many cases do! I'd be terrified of being found out.

What wasted potential

You can’t WFH with no childcare with a baby. Those of us doing it have much older children. My two are in junior and secondary and they never enter my home office during work hours unless it’s an emergency. I only need to make lunch for them when I do mine.

So who will be looking after the baby while you “catch up with things” in the evening?

Btw when you put this new proposal to HR please don’t use the phrases “catch up with things” it doesn’t sound very professional

Babies don’t know you are working unlike older children. Those who just need an adult at home but don’t need supervision.

@MintCho if you're happy and your boss is happy why are you keeping it secret?

Glad my husband and I are waiting to have a child until we can afford full time childcare.

Your husband can be flexible as well, so there's two of you, two salaries, one child, and you still can't be arsed to sort yourselves out enough to fund childcare.

You should feel shame, not gloat about it online.

Sorry OP but if I were your boss, line manager or colleague I would expect you in the office FT or for you to reduce your working hours to the days you have a full days childcare in place.

You can probably work maybe 70-80 % effectively with a much older junior school age/secondary school age child but your efficiency would be lucky if it was 50% with a baby in tow and your mum helping for a small amount of hours in the middle of the day.

I’m working and I’m proud of that - my work is to a high enough standard my boss wouldn’t suspect a thing and my parenting to my dc is fine too. We need the money we have bills to pay and want to work this is just what we decided to do. I guarantee we aren’t the only ones.
If my work was suffering then yes it would be an issue but it’s not !

Working from home to enable childcare of a small infant isnt really feasible. You need to look at other options it would be unfair on colleagues and not good for the business,

I live alone during the week and have no children. I work from home and can give 100% of my attention to my job during working hours. Can you honestly say that you could do likewise with a young baby in the house?

Also for school aged children. My 11yo comes home on a school bus herself, and let herself into the house. I have occasionally need to pick her up when the school bus broke down. Then I am back at work doing my work. My 8yo needs picking up from school but my 11yo is my back up when DH and I both have meetings. You really can’t do that with babies or toddlers. You can start thinking about that when they are year 5 or 6.

But in effect you'd be working reduced hours on those days as your mum can't cover the full day? So I can see why your request to WFH has been declined.

I agree with HR, it would be unfair on everyone else.

They aren't letting you do it anyway so you're going to have to sort something else out x

You’re deluded. You’re scamming your employer, nothing to be proud of. Conveniently not answering the question on how fair is it on your child to have a parent ignoring them and their needs?

You need to check gov uk regarding your rights to request flexible working and put in a properly worded request .And explain exactly your intentions. It’s not something that can really be answered on here because there may already be a precedent in your company and it depends on how it affects other staff . You have every right to request flexible working but your employer can refuse ( within reason)

www.gov.uk/flexible-working

My child isn’t ignored and their needs are met I don’t know why people think it’s impossible to do . Dh has a very flexible job so we can easily switch over who is doing what re the dc daily it’s working for us . The current economic situation is awful and we are just doing what we need to to survive

How exactly when I’m doing all the work required and meeting all targets and deadlines and they are happy with my performance? How is that scamming anyone !

Because all of us (perhaps more experienced than you?) know it’s not possible to work and look after children properly. You’re neglecting both. Why not work evenings and weekends when your husband can watch your child? If you really were doing it to survive, you’d do that. But you’re essentially stealing instead.

I smell bullshit

Is your commute short enough that you could go in for a few hours on the days your mum is doing childcare? So you wouldn’t have to be WFH fully on any day, but three days a week would be reduced hours in the office and doing the rest at home?

Your childcare isn't your boss' problem.

Get your backside back to work or get a new job.

@MintCho if your work is that fabulous, it's your child that's suffering.

Sorry but working and childcare at the same time means one, other or both suffer.

What playgroups, soft play etc does your child attend during your working week? What parks? What play dates?