Flexible working request turned down - what next?

[bigredtractor]

Hi, I'm in a bit of a state after a return to work meeting yesterday.

I worked FT before i had my baby and am due back towork in Aug. I wrote a letter a month ago requesting to reduce my hours from 35pw to 24pw, spread over 3 longer days.

This was turned down yesterdy because our dept has too many projects to cope with over the next 12 months. I offered to up my hours to 28pw if the extra 4 were from home at times of my choosing.

They are going away to think about it and coming back to me in 2 weeks.

3 other female colleagues ( in different depts) have all had similar requests accepted - a mixture of jobshare, PT hours and working from home.

I can't help but feel that work haven't considered many options to help me integrate back into working - they didn't offer any solutions in the meeting which was frustrating.

Idon't know know what else to do except sit and wait. Any tips..?

"they didn't offer any solutions in the meeting"

What solutions did you offer to the concerns they raised? How were you proposing to reduce your hours and cover your job? Had you given specific proposals about different ways of working, tasks that could be adjusted etc to enable your job to be done in less hours?

Actually, yes - all of that. I suggested that paperwork, reports etc could be worked on at home, that I'd be willing to jobshare ( we are advertising for a 6 month temp post in the dept so there's am option to offer that person the extra hours), that we could take on an intern to take the slack on admin etc.

Your tone is a bit off, by the way!

They just didn't seem v prepared for the meeting - they had had my letter for a month.

They don't tend to offer solutions in my experience - it's entirely up to you to come up with suggestions that make them comfortable that you can do the work on reduced hours.

Have you spoken to your colleagues in other depts to find out how it works for them to make sure you haven't missed anything?

My tone is 'off'?! Just asking some questions to find out a bit more in order to advise you that's all. I'll leave you to it.

Flowery is one of our resident experts in this field. I'm not sure telling her her tone is "off" is necessarily going to endear you to anyone. She's right, you need to be proactive about how you are going to make it work, rather than just be upset that they didn't just say yes with no reservations.

Well your response just reads like a volley of questions

You have to sell it to them.

When I applied for flexible working I considered every possible objection that they possibly could have come up with and made sure that I had a solution. I also used it as an opportunity to sell myself to them just as if it was a job interview. I expected them to negotiate with me but they accepted my proposal on a trial 3 month period.

I agree with Thai. A trial period is a good compromise. I did the same thing, I broke the status quo in my office by really selling the idea and being the first person to work less than five days, six years on there are lots of people doing it, you've got to be prepared to work twice as smart as everyone else, but it's worth it for the flexibility.

I do sympathise, you're kind of led to believe that flex working is your "right", but the reality is down to cold hard business.

So by batting back any possible issues with a ready thought out solution, it shows you are trying to work with the business rather than "demanding" your rights.

Flowery is fab so your comments are uncalled for.

A job share for just 9 hours will be hard to find. Tagging it onto someone else hours may not work for a variety of reasons.

They dont have to come up with ideas or offers to intergrate you back into work, they just have to give you your job back on its previous terms.

It sounds like you assumed it would be fine and took it for granted and now realise that they dont have to give you what you want.

Expecting to work from hours at the hours that suit you and not the business will not appeal to employers.

Hi there, Don't know how junior you are, but I would be loath to suggest covering part of a responsible job with an intern. It would give me quite the wrong impression.

'I offered to up my hours to 28pw if the extra 4 were from home at times of my choosing.' It's comments like this that give part-time workers a bad name. Employers don't have to let you work part-time, attitudes have changed massively over the last two decades but 'times of my choosing', really? Unless you are in a rare job, there are probably many people just waiting to get their hands on your full-time role - you really need to reflect that it your negotiations with your employer.