ApplyIing to work from home

[123FirstTimeMummy]

Hello,

I'm really starting to struggle with coming into the office 5 days a week 8:30 - 4:30. I already have to travel 40/30 minutes to commute.

I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant and this is my first, I have started to feel tired and I feel I'm struggling with it all and I'm started to feel very scared about being so far away from home.

Would anyone be able to help me with filling in the attach form for my employer. I feel I also have have the support from work to even fill out this form. I'm happy to come in 1-2 days a week into the office and i know my job i can work from home complete without any issues or even affecting the company.

I'm not an HR person, but just wanted to say you possibly need to be careful using pregnancy as opposed to an underlying medical condition as a reason for struggling as your work can make you go on maternity early if pregnancy is impacting on your work, don't know if you are aware of that?
Have you consulted with a doctor as to what the underlying cause might be as doesn't sound like an out of the ordinary commute or work day?

From a manager point of view, if your job can be done 100% remote with no problems, the only thing I would be considering would be precedent among a team - if I do this for 1 person do I have to allow it for all ? Or is there a particular set of curcumstances that can explain why this one person needs the accomodation ? If its just because they're parent, do I have to allow it for all parents, for example ?
If there's a good answer to this question, or its not a team scenario, then you might be fine.
Do talk to your manager before sending in an official request though - you can get a feel for whether putting "No Impact" in the last 2 sections would be a runner

I’d speak to your HR and your line manager informally first. Have you had your iron levels checked recently? Your comment about “being far from home” I find a bit odd, that’s a pretty average commute time. We’re about to go on holiday to Europe and I’m 23 weeks, hasn’t even crossed my mind to worry about being away.

Why are you worried about being away from home? Your commute is pretty standard and you're not that far along pregnancy wise! Appreciate it's tiring but to some extent you do have to just push through. No harm asking if you could do one day a week at home to start with and perhaps increase this when you're further along but as a manager, unless there were other medical conditions/extenuating circumstances/medical guidance to recommend this, I'd be reluctant to agree to more than that if your work policy is in office.

Don't fill out a formal flexible working request for this. That's designed to change your working pattern long-term, essentially to adjust your contract of employment, whereas it sounds like you need your employer to agree to an accommodation on the short-term basis of your pregnancy. I see where PP is coming from re. setting a precedent, but your pregnancy is the basis for the informal request, and as such, given your role can be easily done remotely, I don't see the problem with setting that precedent.

Speak to them informally like others have said, and definitely get your iron levels checked!

This isn't true. Being off sick with pregnancy related illness after 36 weeks will kick start your maternity leave, otherwise they cannot force you to go off.

They ARE obliged to make reasonable adjustments for your pregnancy so I would agree with others saying have an informal conversation with your line manager and HR if needed before doing anything else.

As said upthread that forms for a permanent change. You need a pregnancy risk assessment.
gently though why are you concerned? Are you high risk? Is your hospital/ birthing place the other direction to your place of work? Why is being in the office 2 days ok if it’s too far away?

get your iron levels and bloods checked by a midwife too as I started iron tablets and it made a huge difference. Tiredness also ebbs and flows in preganncy - two weeks from now you might feel great x

Thanks for clarifying the timeframe, I worked upto 41+ weeks and didn't want any time off before the birth so was mindful of this.

I would speak to your employer to have a risk assessment in place if not done so yet and potentially wfh as a reasonable adjustment. As others have said using the form posted is a permanent change of contract if accepted and also even if you did use it your employer should have updated those forms already since after the new legislation came through on 6th of April you are not required to state the impact of the change will have in the company or the team you are in.

and as rightly others have said pregnancy related illness in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy (36 weeks) your employer may very well decide to start your maternity leave earlier.

I’m only slightly further along than you at 24 weeks, work in HR and particularly my area is parental leave and flexible working requests.

22 weeks is quite early to be requesting this OP. As others have said I would be cautious. Unfortunately pregnancy is tiring and you may need to slow down but also your commute is not an unreasonable distance. Everyone is different but for context I left the house at 6:30 and got home at 7pm up to 38 weeks, this was as a secondary school assistant headteacher.

I mean this kindly OP, but you're going to have to toughen up a bit

Your employer has to carry out a risk assessment and make reasonable adjustments when you are pregnant. If you are struggling then have a chat with them and arrange a mutual agreement to work certain days from home. Pregnancy affects everyone differently and not everyone can just plough on..
I'm 32 weeks now and have not had to make any adjustments but am starting to struggle sitting for long periods in the office. My employer has allowed me full flexibility to work from home but on the flip side I will attend face to face meetings or the office when I feel it's important to the company. As I manage a team I ensure I'm present at least 2 days but this was my suggestion..it's a bit of give and take.