When to ask for flexible working?

[ellybelly123]

Currently 14 weeks pregnant, planning to request compressed hours when I come back from maternity leave so that I have one day off a week.

Question - when is best to put in this request? As early as possible? Just before leaving to go on maternity leave? Or whilst on maternity leave/just before I'm due to come back (basically, as late as possible)?

No concerns with job security but not sure what the best / most usual approach would be?

I left it until about 3 months before I was due to return BUT my work rejected it. That made it difficult for me both practically and emotionally, because I had already factored it in to my return-to-work plan for so long. So now I'd say to do it a bit earlier in your leave.

Being cautious though, I'd still wait until you are actually off though as I think you're a bit more protected on maternity leave if they think they don't want someone on 4 days a week etc.

Wait until you are coming back from mat leave as you can’t be sure now how you will feel about working patterns in over a year’s time.

As you will accrue all your annual leave while you were off you could use it to trial the 4 day week without condensed hours as you ease back in. Doing 5 in 4 is intense and the days are long so good to phase in your return

I think it can’t be done too far in advance because it has to consider the needs of the business at the time of the request. It would depend on your employer you could possibly mention that is what you are thinking and plant the seed but it depends how likely they are to agree. They aren’t allowed to ask you though. I would wait so you accrue your ft annual leave while off. My current employer very open and flexible. My previous employer not at all and I essentially gave them a year to restructure things so they could refuse my request 🫣

Wait until you're on mat leave. Work it out from how long the policy says they have to respond to your request and how long it might take to appeal. Then go back from there. I arranged mine 6 months before I went back

I asked if I could continue to work a day a week from home when I come back after maternity. (I have done this for the last 18 months whilst going through a tricky ivf journey and pregnancy). I was told no so at least I know this for future.

However I have not informed them what days I plan to come back or what hours, and I won't until the last possible moment which I think is a certain amount of weeks before the end of my mat leave. I don't want to give them any more notice than necessary.

As someone else said, you will accrue holiday which can be used before or after your mat leave.

I HAVE told them I'm going to take the year off as I know they need to plan accordingly.

I applied around 25wks and was rejected twice. I would leave enough time so you can sort childcare out if you’ll need it 5 days a week.

Also they don’t have to give you your holiday one day a week, so be careful about banking on that.

Leave it until you are on mat leave. You still have many months of pregnancy and many months of mat leave to go before you return to work.

So much can change in the next 1-2 years. How you feel might change, your workplace might change, you might get a new boss, who knows.

I would say 4-6 months before you want to return is a good time period.

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful to hear the general consensus of waiting until on maternity leave at least - wasn't sure of the most appropriate timing / what the 'done' thing is.

I suppose it feels polite to give as much notice as possible (and there's lots of advance planning I'm involved in which it would be easy to bring up the subject) - but totally get that the needs of the business change (as do people/plans) so will get a more meaningful response by waiting until closer to the time, so will take all your advice and do just that and cross all my fingers for a positive response.

Luckily my job is quite flexible as it is and I did a phased return after my first maternity leave (thanks for the reminder re AL) which worked really well, so I'm hopeful (although obviously cautious).

Really sorry to hear about all the rejected requests, how did you deal with it? Just suck it up or look for a role elsewhere?