Significant change to working hours/ days

[EMS23]

I currently work 3 days per week, 7.24 hours a day. My DH is unemployed, looking for a job after retraining.

Due to the imminent tax credit changes and my DH's job search not going well I asked my employer if I could work 8 hours per day to satisfy the 24 hours per week tax credit rule.

Last week my bosses discussed the options they thought they might be able to offer:

1. 3 days x 8hrs Mon - Weds - I currently do Weds to Fri.
2. 4 days x 7.24 hours Mon - Thurs.

They left it with me to discuss with my DH and nursery to check if I could change our DD's days.

Now today they've told me that all they can offer is 4 days a week on a 2 week rota of
Week 1 Mon - Thurs
Week 2 Mon - Weds plus Friday

Or I can stick to my 3 days but I won't get extra hours and therefore will lose my tax credits.

My DH thinks they've been hugely unreasonable to discuss it last week and now offer something entirely different. I think I'm lucky they'll give me extra hours. But unfortunately what they've offered won't work for me.

Have they been unreasonable in changing the goalposts this much or should I just politely decline and pray my DH gets a job before April 5th?!

'hugely unreasonable'?! You've asked for an increase to hours, something that will cost them money. Instead of refusing they've agreed to increase it, discussing various options with you, not committing, and then deciding to offer a third option to you, which you are free to refuse.

No they are not unreasonable.

I think they sound really fair. You are lucky they are trying to accommodate you, they don't have to.

Surely if your husband's out of work he could up the slack with childcare or any other commitments that make this offer unsuitable? The reality is he doesn't have a job, and unless he's retrained in a skill that's very sought after or has previous experience this could be the situation for a while. I'd plan for your circumstances at the moment, don't base your decision on a job offer that may or may not come in the next fortnight

Your floury has been extremely generous to even consider upping your hours to work around benefits entitlement.

Your husband is being extremely unreasonable.

Employer (I don't know where floury came from!)

Thanks for your replies and I agree with you all, I was really lucky my employer was willing to change my hours at all.
I turned down the offer and am sticking to my current days and hours and my DH agreed that he was being a tad petulant blaming them for an offer which didn't suit us!
Hopefully he'll find a job asap so we regain the tax credits.