Need help wording letter to request part time working

[LostInTransmogrification]

hi there, I am due to return to work on Tuesday and want to return three days a week rather than five. I informed my boss of this in Jan and also that I planned on taking my accrued leave and return at the start of August. He didn't reply so I assumed (d'oh!) that it was ok. He has admitted that he assumed this was all being dealt with by 'someone' and that he hadn't been looking for a role for me yet as he had in his mind that I was coming in August. Problem is that they are asking me to officially return ( and take my accrued holiday) from next week still on a five day a week contract, until they look foe a three day role. (still with me?). I was a bit panicked that I appeared to have slipped through the cracks so easily so want to get this sorted as soon as I can.

HR have asked me to send in a letter with the reasons why I want to reduce my hours. My reasons are that I want to spend time with my ds while he is young, my childcare (mil) is only available three days a week, and I feel that working full time would put too much strain on my work/life balance. Although I feel that these are good reasons for me, I need help wording it more professionally so that it is harder for them to argue with. Can anyone help please?

u are asking for flexible working hours therefore you dont need to give a reason!!! look on the direct gov website as i think they have letters you can copy from

Thanks, County, not sure why they asked then. Will check out the site and see if I can copy a letter

I put this thread in _chat this afternoon as I hadn't had any responses here but I don't know how to put in a link!

I'm a bit confused. You have accrued three months worth of leave whilst on ml? 90 days or so?

Did you make a formal request at any time? If not I can see why your manager assumed it was being dealt with.

You need to put in your letter some ideas about how you feel part time working

Might benefit the company
Would enable your job to continue to be done (job share)?

You also need to be aware that they will be expecting you on tuesday on a
full time basis and that's all you have any right to at present.

You have a right to request flexible working, but you've left it very late. There is no legal obligation for them to make any concessions from tuesday if that's been your agreed return date.

There's some good guidance here Dwp site

"Your application must:
be made well in advance of when you want it to take effect
be in writing (whether on paper or electronically)
be dated
state that the application is made under the statutory right to request a flexible working pattern
give details of the flexible working pattern you are applying for, including the date from which you want it to start
explain what effect you believe the new working pattern would have on your employer, and how any effects might be dealt with
state whether you have made a previous application and, if so, when
The more notice you give your employer, the more likely they will be able to implement the change when you want it. The statutory process can take up to 14 weeks or longer where a problem"

Hairylights, I have accrued 36.5 days leave, which on a 3 day a week basis lasts for 12 weeks.

I contacted my line manager in January to request mon to weds working, saying that I would start taking the accrued leave from my return to work date, which would mean I would return at the start of august. He didn't respond and the next time we spoke was last week, when he said that he hadn't looked for a role for me yet as he wasn't expecting me back until august. I didn't use the wording in your post though, as I was waiting for him to contact me to discuss it further before signing off paperwork through HR. Guess we both assumed wrong!

Yes. I wasn't criticising! Your first post needed a little clarification. It seems you havent made a request under the statutory right to request, but that your line manager has been remiss in not referrimg to (and chasing up) whoever should have been dealimg with your informal request and communicating process and company policy to you.

If your manager wasn't expecting you back til august, who is expecting you back on Tuesday?

I fear a real problem looming for you, if you have no f/t childcare in place from Tuesday, and was trying to help.

Hi Hairy, didn't think you were criticising so sorry if itcame across like rage!

My official return to work date (after twelve months maternity leave) is 10th may. I asked in Jan to take my accrued holiday from 10th may, as I had requested to come back three days a week this would give me twelve weeks of holiday and would mean an effective return to work at the start of august. So it looks to me that he accepted the three day request because he was looking for a role for me starting in august. I would have run out of holiday earlier if I had to take five days off for each week. (I am aware that I am explaining this in a really clunky crappy way!)

Luckily my employers policy is that I have to take my accrued leave within the first three months of my return so even though my official return to work is Tuesday I have a minimum of a month and a half (if based on returning full time, 12weeks if based on part time) to sort out additional childcare (which I am hoping is do-able!)

I'm a bit peeved that I have been forgotten by my boss, he would have been very disapproving if I had done this to one of my team when they returned from maternity. Although in his defence I am not a usual case as I was covering for someone on maternity before I went on maternity so technically I can't return to the role I was doing when I left.

I have my fingers crossed for next week because I really don't want to have to go full time, and I don't want to impose on my mil ( she is one of the rare lovely ones!)

Thanks for your help