DH and I are drivers of public transport and our company is extremely short of staff owing to staff self isolation etc. Yet we are having trouble getting opposite shifts for childcare, we need one to be on earlies and one to be on lates. We have done opposite shifts for childcare for 13 years with hardly a hitch and now they want us to both come in and do lates until 1am.
Our children are 14 and 12 so not really old enough to be left alone till 1am on a regular basis. The government distancing rules say we cannot leave them with people outside the household so our elderly relatives and babysitters are out.
We have asked to change our annual leave to spread the leave out and make it easier (currently have the same annual leave) and been told no.
I am thinking we will have to take unpaid parental leave to cover some of it and maybe take a mortgage holiday. But can they refuse parental leave in the current climate because if they can, they will! They are hitting the headlines daily because they are struggling for staff but not giving any leeway for caring duties. It’s very stressful.