Can I request to work from home in the school holidays?

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I work part time 5 days a week as a secretary/PA - fits in perfectly around school hours. I'm very lucky so I don't want to ask for to much!

I work in an office from my laptop and 90% of my work is via email.

I have 1 DC in nursery and 2 in school so when the 6 weeks holidays start I will be paying nursery fees + childrens clubs for 2 DC, it is as expected soo much money.

I have been back to work for a year and we did the holidays last year, lots of £££'s & most of my holiday leave taken to help keep the cost down (shared with DH so no family time togeather) I did take this into consideration when going back to work but have had an idea of maybe avoiding paying out so much and maybe even having a few days togeather as a family this year!

I want to ask (my new, not even met him yet) boss to allow me to work from home 2 set days a week, DC1 in nursery still and older children able to fend for themselves playing with friends, amusing themselves for my 5 hours working from home time.

All my normal duties would be achieved on these days and the benifit to having my laptop at home would be that I would still be available after my finish time if needed (at no extra wage)

I would still be in the office 3 days a week so any face to face work can be done on these days, I would benifit in getting more work done because people can't "lets check it over with Object" "lets see what Object thinks" They can email me instead of spending 10 minutes explaining simple questions

What do you think? Am I being too greedy, it really would help me out with childcare, it would be a bonus as it isnt something I desperatly need to do iyswim?

Don't count on them amusing themselves for a clear five hours. Really don't. I speak from experience.

It might result in your colleagues feeling a bit put out! But if you make sure you're available when you're at home it might be manageable.

When I worked in an office one of my colleagues would, without fail, "forget" to arrange adequate childcare for the summer holidays and would work from home for 6 weeks over the summer. Whilst at home she would take days to respond to simple email requests and it was obvious she wasn't working particularly hard, yet was being paid in full.

Could you do flexi-time instead and work fewer hours on your days at home, making up further time on your days in the office, thus being seen to not take the piss? (not suggesting you are, but having been on the receiving end am wary of colleagues doing the same now).

Yes, I should add that I've only tried the work-with-kids-around thing a bit, with children over the age of 7 or so, and freelancing which is different from working from home and clocking up X hours a day. For a solid wedge of work, you need childcare.

I think your request is unreasonable. You won't be working properly you will be looking after your children and not all of your tasks can be completed remotely.

You can ask and your employer has to consider it. However, where I work, I still have to have childcare in place. I take DD to breakfast club, but pick her up from school as I've got my hours in by then.

How old are your oldest two, in all honesty they won't amuse themselves for 5 hours and I eould imagine that frienmds/neighbours may get a bit "meh" if they are round someone's house for the majority of the day just so you don't have to pay for childcare.

Given what you've said, I wouldn't be keen on approving your application, I might suggest a trail run in one of the shorter holdays and review it after that

Unless your DCs are aged about 11ish or older, you really can't count on getting work done if it is just you at home with them.

You might however be able to arrange much cheaper childcare if you are within earshot. Could you find a sensible teen who would work at baby-sitting rates? Then you can tell work you have arranged care, but are seeking to minimise eg commuting time during the holidays.

What seventheverything said.

Erm no. I have a colleague who does that and quite literally takes the piss. She says she's working from home but she's got no childcare in place for that day. The child (at the time was not even school age). She's doing it again. The child is nearly 1.

Her reputation has gone down the tubes. And we are in a job that's very flexible....

Thank you for all the replies, lots to think about!

DC are 12 & 10, I don't really see very much of them over the weekend (and most of the hours I would be working from home) as they are with friends (weather permitting though) although I do tend to have a small group in every few hours or so to play upstairs on the Wii etc.

That said. I wouldn't let them start knocking for friends before 11 so that is 1.5 hrs at home in my working day - Maybe I could look into booking them into a session at the leisure centre for the first few hours (it's only 2 days)

I do also have 2 friends with teenage daughters that have helped for a couple of hours in the past so that is a good idea, thank you.

The flexi time idea is really good and definatly something I could work around if allowed, I could even bank up hours now maybe, I wouldn't have even thought of suggestion!

Really great to hear from people who have or are working from home.

I could easily arrange for a friend to help for a few hours and then have their DC around when I finish work for their tea etc.

My employer is very flexible about working from home but working from home whilst looking after children would be a no-no unless they were much older and could fend for themselves. We have new agreements for part time home working being drafted now and one thing that has been made clear is that home working does not include doubling up to provide child care.
I wouldn't broach this just yet with a new boss, I think you should get to know him/her a bit first and demonstrate that you are a solid and reliable worker first.
If I were a boss (I'm not) I think I would ask a home based worker (with children) how their children will be accommodated during holidays.

drcrab I only have to report to the head manager and even though this will be a new one now I know he has been told how reliable I am and that I would never take the piss.

I'm in the position where I manage & audit all staff, including inhouse management to maintain working within the rules (difficult to explain without telling what I do)
My main role is to be honest, true, dedicated, bossy & a tale tale the last 2 are very nearly a joke amongst others.

I spend many many days alone in an office so it made me wonder if I were to be in my living room whether anyone would notice!

I'm surprised at reactions here, as my dss are the similar agest to the OP and mine can and have been fine for me to work with good output whilst at home.

They play out with friends, and I'm here if needed, and without the interuption of people into my office for a chat, I don't think my output is affected. I am really aware that I produce tangible results when I work from home, and by doing this feel I am part of my children's lives.

We have lunch together, they get to have a long lie, which they wouldn't get otherwise, and I don't have a 40 minute drive to work.

Thank you watford I assumed I had missed something completly due to being new at being back to work.

I can arrange for them to be with friends for a couple of hours & repay the favour out of work hours, I manage 3 hours ironing with just a few texts from friends to say they are all in the back garden or in the park etc - much less than someone coming to me with a problem to solve that they ccould have done themselves!

And when they are here with friends playing on the Wii they might bug me with the floor banging but some collegues are way more annoying and time consuming!

Ask, but be clear what you are asking for and how you will be able to demonstrate your output. Be clear that you will not be watching This Morning, but may have to deal with first aid issues. Trial it, if it doesn't work no harm done!!

I think if you were asking your current boss, who knew you are not a shirker, then fair enough. I think asking a new boss who has no experience of your work ethic, may be a tad dangerous and you may brand yourself as a shirker. I don't think it's the best first impression to give a new boss.

I work 3 days x 3 hours in term time and 2 days x 5 hours in holidays, so I only have to find cover for 2 days a week, which makes life a lot easier and cheaper, also if there are bank holidays eg Christmas/Easter/May I can sometimes swing it to only work one long day (I normally work Tue/Wed/Thur and my boss agrees to me taking time off in lieu of bank hols rather than trying to straighten it out via payroll).

That would be my best suggestion, try and compress your hours into say 3 days a week

trixy that is my main concern.

I have about 8 weeks but would want to give lots of notice for time to consider.

Atm I am without a direct manager and I am doing the job myself but I do have a temp support manager who knows my work ethic, I wonder if I should approach her with the initial idea?

I think she would be supportive in a trial basis, we have a week coming up for the next half term, maybe I should see if we could trial one then.....

Thank you so much for all the advice, good and bad welcome

I think it makes a huge difference that they are 10 and 12. I initially thought they would be around 6-8 or something. I think that at this age it is perfectly reasonable to make the request. I wouldn't bat an eyelid if someone asked me this and I was confident of their ability to work well from home.

Make sure you start it with their ages. IE "my kids are 10 and 12 now and too old for childminders...I was wondering if...."

I would also ask if you could do it for a trial period initially to prove to both yourself and them that you are able to keep up the same workrate and that after this trial you then agree it it's ok to continue or not.

Only proviso is that as a PA you are pretty much expected to be around for ad hoc stuff, so they may refuse on this basis.

This would not be tolerated within my dept.

Any work from home requests have to be justified as, well, being able to work from home. not, basically, hope to fit your work around childcare duties - that doesn't matter if you mumble something about having them play at friends, ship them off to a few activities, or amuse themselves in various ways during your working hours.

Let's face it - there is no real advantage to your employer here at all, because there's no actual plan in place that the usual benefits applies (being able to concentrate and get down to anything complex without interruptions in an office, for one).

Our team PA does exactly this. Phrase it as you have been advised and I see no reason why not, but it depends on the company culture.

When I read your OP I assumed they were between 5 and 8 as you mentioned them being at school and younger sibling at nursery. I did think "mmm not going to work, she'll spend her day refereeing etc" but given that they are at the age where parents exist purely for lifts and cash I think it is very do-able.

Thanks again for all the replies, I'm seriously looking into getting the 10 yr old into day time activities and relying on friends to pick up with the promise of dinner at my house after I finish work!

I'm thinking more along the lines of banking some hours between now and then, I could work a full day and then have an extra 2.5 hours which would help with being able to be in the office and not based at home at all.

Lots to think about and I've yet to meet my new manager although from what I am hearing on the grape vine I'm going to be expected to be avaliable 24 7 so who knows!

Just wanted to add that perhaps it would depend on how your new boss interprets your role. My previous boss couldn't care less that we weren't there. Others make snide comments like 'haven't seen you around...'. And it's not just the boss. It might matter to your colleagues who really need you NOW for some thing. And you are preparing dinner, or doing the food shop or picking up kids.

I truly believe that working from home can work. But childcare needs to be sorted (I don't mean you, just in general), and there needs to be a work mode (whether you write best in Starbucks or in your conservatory!).

I've heard of 'work at home' parents networks being set up and then people complaining that it's not 'child friendly' (ie they want to bring their children along and somehow solicit business and swap work related ideas!). Maybe they can work but im quite skeptical.

I support your attempt, but it is really dependent on the culture of your place of work. In my field working from home is quite usual, ad hoc and especially on Fridays - although in my case I do so exceptionally regularly. For many years now colleagues know that on my days at home I can be reached via email and they will get a response within a few minutes; likewise phone is always on and responded to. My work diary is also shared with my closest colleagues so they can see at a glance when I'm next in.

I also agree that 3 days out of 5 is about the right ratio so you're not out-of-the-loop with what's on at work.

Like your plan, I've been doing this since my DS was in the same age range as yours. I agree with poster above about asking for a trial so you can demonstrate how it might work. I also agree this can increase productivity as you get fewer interruptions. It's just a question of whether your colleagues will be supportive...

Oh and a thought: if you're driving to work, might this fit in with your employer's green travel plan?

Good luck!