define 'flexible working'...(any nurses out there??)

[jakesmum30]

Just back to work after mat leave with DS2. I'm a nurse working 18 hours a week which works out as three 12 hour shifts a fortnight. We get our rota a month in advance, so my shifts change from month to month. I e mail the rota co ordinator my requests each month and give at least three days a week I can work (of which she needs to choose 1 or 2). But I keep getting shifts I can't work due to DH's work commitments (he also works shifts). How do I approach this? Don't want to make myself a PITA, but my shift pattern (ie three a fortnight) and hours were agreed by my manager before I returned and the rota coordinator compliments me on my flexibility when I make my requests ('wish others could be more like you' etc). Enjoy my work and want to be a good team player. But when I check the new rota there are always shifts I can't do and haven't requested leading to manager getting in a sweat when I need to change them. Help!

I'm guessing as you haven't got a regular pattern, requesting flexible working is difficult as in effect you already have a flexible working arrangement (Ie: not set shifts).

Does your husband have fixed shifts, or is his work the same (ie: no fixed pattern).

I can see this would be very difficult to get around.

Usually a flexible working request would include things like:

fewer working hours in the week for less pay
different start and finishing times eg: start later and finish later, or start earlier and finish earlier
a compressed week (eg: 37 hours worked Mon-Thu instead of Mon-Fri)