Is this cheeky to ask in new job?

[Cheepcheepchirp]

Nearly 3 months into a new job. I’ve almost completed my training and so far feedback has been very positive. I’ve been a SAHM for last decade and I’m dreading school holidays and not being able to spend it with my kids. I didn’t realise they’d still want to spend as much time with me!
I do 3x 8-5.30, plus 6 hours (when kids are in bed). I’ve planned eldest DC doing their own thing and youngest in holiday club those 3 days but I’d much rather work 2 long days, just for the summer hols.
I would take it unpaid (prefer not) and only have a couple days AL left.
Am I cheeky to ask and if not, what can I suggest?

All working parents want to spend more time with their DC in the holidays though - unfortunately, if you have a job, with agreed days you’re required in work, that’s one of the sacrifices you make in return for an income. I do think a Mon/Weds/Fri pattern isn’t ideal though, did you get any input into that? When I was part time, I worked Tues/Weds/Thurs precisely so I could do long weekends.

@ClaredeBear I’m pretty much the only person to do my job (I’m a counsellor but very specialised) and have a small patient base at the moment until patients get referred in. I work in a medium size private practise.
I took my AL to have surgery that I didn’t want my colleagues to know about which in hindsight was probably stupid!
Someone uses my clinic room on a Tuesday so can’t swap-already asked.

I don’t know how to bring it up without bringing it up if that makes sense?

I’d just focus on positives you can still have nice days out Tues and Thurs plus all weekend which is more than lots of parents get.
Plan ahead for October half term and book a day or two off then and go away then.

You don't bring it up.. you agreed to the hours three months ago! Not your employers fault you didn't think about the holidays! We would NOT be impressed at all..and truthfully? Probably end your probation. You clearly aren't ready to return to even part time work.

You’ve only been in the job three months, so I think that’s a pretty cheeky request. It’s not like you didn’t know the holidays were coming up. Also, you haven’t even gir a valid reason - failed childcare etc, but because you want the luxury of spending more time with your dc.

You can ask but you might not get

Is there an option to swap one or two of your Mondays for Thursdays? That would give you a stretch together, however if these are clinic sessions I can see how it might not be doable. That way you are asking for a couple of changes rather than taking lots of time/setting a precedent.

Whatever you do @Cheepcheepchirpdon't take this dreadful advice!

Three “sick” days off in 6 weeks would make you seem really unreliable and would definitely blot your copybook, and you could easily be let go or given a disciplinary. Plus, if you had any genuine sickness issues for yourself or your children, it would be even worse.

to answer your original question, no I don’t think you should ask OP. It’s too early on, and you don’t have a very good excuse really. I’m not sure the hours would even work very well - how could you really fit that much work into two days of the week?

I guess doing what you do, you may have more flexibility than some - so perhaps you could do a couple of slightly longer days and a shorter one on the third - that may be possible. But I would be very cautious not to push your luck this early on. There’s lots of school holidays - you don’t want to give them the idea that you’ll always be asking for special treatment and custom arrangements.

You dont bring it up you're taking the piss. You already have 4 days a week to spend with your children.

I completely get wanting to spend time with your children, but given you've not been employed at your practice long I really wouldn't rock the boat. Enjoy the four days you have with your children each week and throw yourself into work on the other days. I've been employed by my employer for many years and I still wouldn't ask for that as it would put pressure on colleagues and we're mostly all in the same boat children-wise.

Parental leave is something to consider for next summer, perhaps. You have to take it in week blocks and it's unpaid, so you'd need to budget for that.

How well do you feel you know the manager?
Do your other colleagues all have children?

I think if other colleagues also have children and are continuing their usual hours then I think it would be awkward to ask for a different arrangement, especially as someone new.

Do you have a specialist skill though that would make you hard to replace? As maybe this would give you better negotiating power as they wouldn't want you to leave.

I think it would be really cheeky amd entitled. Everyone can't just have the school holidays off.

You’ve been there 3 months.
you’ve already used up all your annual leave.
you want more unpaid leave / condensed hours.

you must have had more time off in the last 3 months than you’ve been in and this won’t help. You can’t ask, unless you don’t want a job any more.

Surely if you tried to condense your hours into 2 days, you'd be working 15/16 hours a day which doesn't seem feasible anyway??

I do think it would be cheeky after three months. Also, how on earth are you going to fit the hours from day 3 into days 1 and 2, when you're already working 9.5 hours on those days?

Maybe use some annual leave for a couple of weeks.

Are you serious?

Surely you have hours for your patients. How is suddenly switching one of them to ten o'clock on a Tuesday night going to work? You're already doing long days, I can't see how you can fit patients into an extended day. Its particularly unfair on them if you're tired from all the work that day.

Also I would absolutely let you go if I discovered you were faking illness the way a previous poster suggested. Do not do that. Its terrible advice and when she says "they cant let you go for...", she's talking shite, because they absolutely can. You're still on probation.

I would try and swap days to mon wed thur

so have Fri sat sun to go away

def don’t ask for time off to see kids and def don’t lie /fake illness

Yes it would be cheeky to ask. You've been there three months.

If you've only been their 3 months only work 3 days a week and already used all your annual leave how many days have you actually even worked

And people wonder why employees are increasingly being described as entitled!! This is fucking awful advice and such twatty behaviour. Grow up and behave like an adult.

Yeah, no. Any employer is going to see exactly what you’re doing and let you go. Don’t do this if you want to keep your job.

Besides, it’s crappy, unprofessional behaviour.

It’s not just cheeky. It’s not possible to fit all your working hours into two days. And how will your clients react to you suddenly changing their time slots, it’s not like anyone would be happy with a 10pm counselling session after you’d worked a 14 hour day.

@Cheepcheepchirp what about asking for Mon, Wed, Thu just over the holiday as you could then have a slightly long weekend? Worth asking. They may say no, though. You could also point out to supervisor that you had a medical procedure for which you took AL so are not a mickey taker. Difficult one, but you won’t know if you don’t ask. I wouldn’t mind if on of my newbies asked but it would depend how they asked and whether they had come up with ways to minimise inconvenience.

You’ve been in the job 3 months and you only have 2 days AL left?

I’m NHS so I’d put in a flexible working request application if I wanted to reduce my days or convert to compressed hours. Give it a bit longer and see if there’s such a thing available at your company.