To ask to work term time only

[Dinoswearunderpants]

I work in finance, currently 2 days WFH and 2 days in office. I've asked to work 5 days a week but term time only.

My Manager didn't seem impressed. I'll effectively be working the same amount of days (if I've done the maths right) so I can't really see the issue.

Yes 6 weeks in total might be a stretch but it's definitely manageable.

It's been left that he will speak with his boss (not ideal both are male). However, my Bosses Boss recently gave a speech at an International Women's day event saying how he fully supports flexible working etc so I'm hoping that might work in my favour.

I'm curious if anyone else has successfully requested to work term time only?

I did. Very common in the civil service. Probably less so in the private sector.

Will the school holidays be your holidays ?
So would your holiday entitlement be 11 weeks ?
I suppose it depends if your work can accommodate 11 / 12 weeks out of the business and every Christmas off too …
My work couldn’t …

Impossible to answer as it’s at your managers’ discretion and workplace policies.

Ideally I'd just be given 11 weeks leave and get to choose when to book it. That way my husband can cover some holidays and I can use some for inset days etc.

It just depends whether your work can support 11 weeks absence

You could just take parental leave to get the same thing.

Term time only working is normally you work 39 weeks a year (when the kids are at school) and then take all school holidays off. You will get paid for the 39 weeks plus your usual holiday entitlement (minimum paid 43 weeks a year plus back holidays) . Some companies will offer to then split this pay over 12 months equally, some don't do that though so you wouldn't get paid through the long summer holidays etc......

With you wanting to pick and chose the weeks it would be easier to request the weeks as parental leave yearly.

YABVU to assume that just because you've calculated it as being the same as working part time, that that works for the business.

You're effectively asking for 11 weeks leave - to book at your own discretion, so it may not be term time!

smacks a bit CF really, especially if it's a smaller business.

Being in the workforce every week (even for 3 days) is a helluva lot different to being out of the office for a 6 week period. What happens to your work in that time? Who does it?

if no one needs to do it for 6 weeks while youre off on "term time" summer holidays, the big question id be asking is why do they need you at all?

Fine to ask, but fine for them to say no.

It might be that there isn't enough work for five days a week a lot of the time, and that they really do need someone there during the summer etc.

I have done term time for the last 10 years (civil service so flexible employer). It's great. I plan on keeping it for a few more years. It works for us.

Thank you. I was thinking of using parental leave. I'm taking three weeks this year.

You only get 18 weeks in total though up to child's 18th birthday so really it's only an extra week but they say it needs to be taken as a minimum of 2 weeks.

I think up to the point that you said you wanted to choose which weeks to be off, it made sense- as in I thought you were saying you’d be off all school holidays and these would be your holidays/leave. Then saying you want total flexibility to choose which to actually take off is a bit cf.

Depends what you mean by finance. Financial services, investment management, a bank, accountancy…?

I’m an accountant of sorts and it would be too much upheaval for the business if I took 13 weeks off a year as we have planning and reporting deadlines which don’t fall conveniently around the school holidays but I guess if I worked for a bank, this might not be relevant.

Depends on the business tbh. What if loads of work has to be done just at the time you’re going to be off for weeks at a time on school holidays. Will somebody else have to cover your role?

What happens at year end if it falls in the school holidays?

A lot of companies struggle with term time as it’s a case of I’m alright hack it has a massive impact on other people because they have to fill the void of the 11 weeks
if they only let 4 people off at a time them one person grabs all the school holidays there’s less available for everyone else

Does someone else have to cover your role when you’re not there? Bit unreasonable if they are never allowed a school holiday.

It is unlikely (barring any SN) that you will need to work term time only after the age of 14 (maximum) for childcare reasons though. So that gives you 4 more weeks back to take at an earlier age. Also your husband can take parental leave as well.

I think personally you would be better asking for standard conditions of TTO working. That way the business can plan. You asking for ad hoc weeks means a business can't plan effectively for your absence. You may have more luck getting it that way.

yanbu to ask, but I can’t imagine many businesses being able to accommodate this.
How about you ask for somewhat more time off than you have now and your DH does the same?

What If other employees have children and want to take their leave in school holidays? Not sure why being male as any impact on the decision, pretty sure men are parents too.

It's not unreasonable to ask, but just saying 11 weeks but I choose when is much much much less likely to ba approved and a bit wild in honesty. Term time depends on the business really- they have to consider whether they can cope having someone out for up to 6 weeks in one go, whether it will then prevent others ever having time off during school holidays or make it challenging etc. Although your end the hours are the same, the distribution is really different and not overly comparable.

I think asking for 11 weeks to take when you want is unreasonable, yes. Term time is a stretch for most businesses unless massive, there’s a big difference between having someone part time every week & having someone who is off for 6 weeks in the summer, it’s hard to find cover. But at least with actual term time the employer knows you will be off for those 6 weeks & what the dates are so they can try to plan for it, they can’t do that if you just want 11 weeks to take as & when.

It would be a massive headache for my team and we are a flexible employer with plenty of part timers. Being one person down for 6 weeks at a time means I can't approve any other leave. If someone was off sick during this time, the work would just pile up.

Depends how you work.

I’d find it impossibly distributive if someone kept disappearing for weeks at a time tbh.

11 weeks off in a year is a lot. Would be v awkward for anyone else in your team taking holiday too.

Try and answer all questions here.

So I'm happy taking solely school holidays. I thought it might be better for work if I show some flexibility.

It's a wealth management firm. No reporting deadlines for my team.

My role is shared between the team meaning we all do the same thing so there is cover for the type of things I do.

I'm currently the only one in my team with young children so at the moment it won't impact others but their circumstances might change in the future.

I’ve never allowed it, it’s just not fair. Who is going to do your work for the 6 weeks you’re not there? That is a VERY different set up to you completing work on a weekly basis all year round ( based on your current arrangement ) Organisations are not term time only functions. They can’t behave like them because it just wouldn’t work! ( this is the same in public sector - imagine if there were no social workers for 6 weeks? Or they were all slammed because half their colleagues only work when the kids are at school?!)

edited to add ( just seen your update) of course it will impact your team - someone will have to cover you!