term time working

[nevertoolate]

Hi
Does anyone here work for the civil service and works a term time (or term time part time) pattern?

I want to request a term time part time work pattern but know that my manager and her manager will oppose it, so I need good arguments for saying it could work for them too. I feel I can justify the request, it's not just a whim (ie I'm a single parent whose child has just started school and I don't have anyone else who can look after my child during holidays and don't want to use a holiday club heavily (at his age)).

Does anyone know if it's for me to fight for the request, or for my employers to fight against the request, ie what is the default position - that I'm entitled to it or not? I know that another person at my place of employment has just been granted term time part time working, so that's brilliant.

Any help would be really appreciated, particularly from anyone in the civil service, or in this position.

thank you, in anticipation.

I think it would fall under a flexible working request ie they can refuse if they give 'business reasons' why it would not work.

Is the other person on a similar grade or responsibility to you? Would the work be able to be covered outside term time?

Its a bit of both really.

You need to demonstrate how your proposals could work and you should pre-empt some of their likely objections. For example, if I were your employer, I would be asking, 'how will the work be covered when you aren't here'. If it were true, you could say something like 'the holidays are quiet for the department.' You can't really use your personal situation (e.g. single parent and childcare) as justification and you should stick to the business case.

In response, if they can't accommodate your request, they will need to justify why they can't acommodate it and can only use one of the statutory reasons.

Good luck.

Wanted to add....

I don't work in the Civil Service, but I do work in an NDGB in HR. In my experience, there are some managers who will bend overbackwards for their staff and others who will only do the bare minimum. If you feel that they may be resistant, then you really need to put in a good business case.

You really do need to focus this on the rhythm of the work, and how it will be done in the school holidays (especially the long summer one). If you have SLAs, can you show that these will still be met, whatever time of year the task comes up.

You will also have to deal with the tendency of other parents to take leave during the school holidays, so your business case arguments need to be based on the actual staffing level during the peak holiday time, not the total strength of the department. Expecting your colleagues to forego their holidays with their DCs (or teacher DPs) will lose your case straightaway.

The fact that you need it as a single parent, doesn't "justify" the request. To do that you need to show that it's the best option for them.

I did it (not civil service) and this is what worked for me:

• My boss really wanted me in the job and there was no way I was going to do it full-time. I meant that and would have gone if we hadn't been able to agree hours.

• I did reduced hours in the holidays, rather than no hours.

-The job was quieter in the holidays because our customers were often away

-I was able to offer flexibility. e.g the two days pw I did in the holidays could be 4 days one week and none the next or they could be different days each week to fit in with customer or meeting requirements.

-IME most of the holidays worked fine, but the long summer one as tough on everyone. I struggled to get everything done and my collegues resented the fact that I wasn't there when they needed me. For the others it was just like being away on annual leave, albeit more often than usual.

Talk to the other person who's just been granted it and find out how they made their case. It was unheard of where I worked - I was the only woman in a staff of 120

Good luck