To expect more notice?

[Glitterballofdreams]

I have secured a new job, and was waiting for paperwork to be completed. I was notified that this was all done today and could I start one day this week. (Line Manager knows I have children)
I said I can start next week, as it’s half term. I have been given shifts for the first week, when I asked if these would be set shifts they said no and will share the rota with me once I’ve started. I had asked previously if they could tell me what the earliest start time would be of a morning, as I’d need to enroll my children in breakfast club or make alternative arrangements. They kept brushing me off. The shifts I’ve been given so far I will need childcare.

Does anyone think this is short notice? I think with a shift rota the more notice the better, especially with young children. In previous jobs I’ve had the rota months in advance.
Just wondering if I’m over thinking it all?!

Everywhere is different, it isn't always possible to do rotas months in advance.

Some organisations work like this. It's fine for some people, but not for others. It looks like it's you that is not suited to the job rather than the company doing anything wrong although it is annoying that they have been brushing you off.

When you applied, you presumably knew it was shift work - did you ask how much notice you would be given and what the earliest and latest start/finish times were?

Yes I asked on several occasions and kept being told that they would let me know when my paperwork was completed.

YANBU that's nowhere near enough notice for you to organise childcare. I'd be re-thinking the job if I were you

Thank you. I guess I was expecting a fortnight’s notice for start date, and for them to confirm earliest start and finish times. As this is particularly important when juggling children.

Irrespective of whether you have children or not it’s not unreasonable to want to have your shifts in advance and for the company to confirm start/finish times. Having said that and I don’t mean to sound harsh, childcare issues is not really the company’s problem. If they are not forthcoming I think you’d be best looking for a job with regular hours.

In some jobs shifts are months in advance, in others not - hospitality, care work and retail can often be a week's notice in my experience, and they seem to rely on the fact that there is a lot of competition for those jobs so staff either have to deal with it or they'll find someone else.
They should have been upfront with you about this at the interview stage though if that's how they work.