HELP !! change in terms - advice needed- LONG ...

[shivanjali]

I work part time 20 hours a week and have been in current job about 4 years. I don't get paid loads but it is a job that fits in around the children and when I joined, although it wasn't written in a contract (which was just a letter, one paragraph with hours and weekly pay), my then boss agreed that there would be some flexibility in the school holidays where I would be able to compress my hours to be in the office longer on some days each week and be off the rest.

My boss left two years ago, but new boss was fine with flexibility. However, as I have taken on more marginally challenging work, I feel I need to be in the office more regularly and I myself feel like I can't be as flexible as before.

We have now been bought outright by a global blue chip organisation and having our t&cs sorted to bring into line with new owner.

My childcare costs in the holidays now pretty much wipe out any earnings but it is so difficult to get a part-time job that fits in around the kids. HOwever, I enjoy working, get some satisfaction out of it, and feel good about contributing to the monthly pot. But one of the main reasons why I was able to make it work was the flexibility in the holidays.

To be perfectly honest, there is no progress here for me, unless I put in extra time, but that would be the same anywhere. I would be happy to leave but not sure how to broach the subject, whether to bring up the fact that flexibility going means it is just not cost effective any longer. The DC have about 14 weeks off a year, and I get 4 weeks holiday so together with DH holidays I would have to put them in holiday club for about 6-8 weeks each year which costs a fortune. I don't have family nearby and kids are getting to age where they don't want to go to holiday clubs either.

What should I do ? Just put up and shut up and be grateful I even have a job or take the chance to go with some kind of package if they offer this. Really they could do with having someone here either full-time or working part-time everyday but whilst I keep making things work, I don't think they will see that.

If you've worked out that it costs you more to work than not to, then it's time to have a conversation with your employer explaining that. Set out how your job used to be and how it is now and either ask for it to be restored but explain that you will require more assistance or for you to be paid more money and that will hopefully take care of the the holiday club issue. Can you do any working at home?

It doesn't sound as though your terms and conditions have changed from your post. No one has said 'you are not allowed to work flexibly anymore', unless I'm reading it wrong. Instead you say that as your work has changed marginally, you feel yourself you need to be in the office more and find it more difficult to be as flexible as you were previously. I'm not sure I'd describe that as a change in terms.

It's obviously not working as well for you as it did before, but what do you actually want to do? Do you want to make changes to your job so that you can work flexibly again, in which case do you have suggestions in mind that you can discuss with your employer? You say you'd be happy to leave, in which case just hand in your notice, surely - it's not something you need to worry about how to broach.

You talk about 'some kind of package if they offer this' - have you been given an indication that as part of the takeover they will be offering voluntary redundancy? Is that why you are hesitant about just resigning, because you think voluntary redundancy may be an option later?

Thanks all. Flowery, it is definitely not working as well as before, and I appreciate that up to now, I have been very lucky to have this flexibility in the holidays. No mention of voluntary, quite the opposite, business as usual and no changes anticipated anytime soon.

I guess I will just carry on and see if they keep their word.