Do any parents on here have any experience of sharing care post a split and shift work? I’m thinking health, police, night work that kind of thing. How do you manage round the shifts once you’ve split and how supportive was your employer?
My partner and I are separating, about as amicably as we can, and both was to share childcare as much as we can, so we both have a good relationship with our son.
I work in the NHS, in a specialty with a fair degree of acute out of hours work. Until now it’s worked great for us as a couple as weekends or nights mean days off in the week so we have managed without after school club or childcare. My shifts have enabled my partner to advance their career in a 9-5 job, so I don’t want them to be used against me.
My shifts are predictable, as it’s a rolling rota, but over a cycle cover every day and night of the week. So at the moment I couldn’t garantee to be free every Tuesday (say) or every other weekend. Swaps are possible but depend on other people’s willingness.
Apparently I can put in a flexible working request but this can’t be garenteed. I don’t want to shirk the shifts or get preferential treatment, just something that works for us.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and what did you do?