Return to work hours

[mumsfrazzled]

I am currently on maternity leave and due back at work soon. Before I started mat leave i was working 20 hours per week (wed-Fri) with 1/2 hour lunch break. I wanted to change the pattern of my hours but remain at 20 hours a week. I have been told i must submit a new flexible working request which i have done and now they have come back and said it is company policy now that I have to take a full hour for my lunch break trying to keep it consistent throughout the company, which means I would need to work an additional 1.5 hours per week. I know its not much, but it really makes a difference for school pick up and drop off for me. Can anyone advise if they can insist on this. Thanks

Yes they can insist on this.

No they can't easily insist on it. You can't insist on changing your hours, but you can refuse to accept their proposed change and insist on keeping them as they were prior to your mat leave.

If they've refused your flexible working request to change it, your hours should by default go back to what they were before. If they want to change them so you work later but take longer off for lunch, they will need to consult with you about that and seek your consent.