Compressed hours request refused - is this a real business reason?

[chucklemummy]

I've been made redundant whilst on maternity leave and went for an interview last week - I didn't get the job but they offered me a slightly less senior role. In my last two roles I worked full time hours over 4 days and I requested if this would be possible in new post. Initially I got a flat 'no' then I got a phone call from the Head of Dept saying that they were very pro family friendly working and compressed hours is an option. I verbally accepted the job on that basis. Today I received a phone call saying that whilst they could offer me 4 days part time basis they wouldn't be prepared for this to be on a compressed hours basis because "other people in the dept have been refused this in the past". Is this a valid business reason? It doesn't sound like one to me - and now I'm doubting the real "family friendliness" of the company.

What do others think?

Well they don't have to give you a valid business reason unless and until you've been there 6 months and put in a formal request. At that point, that wouldn't be a valid business reason, no, but at this stage what they mean is it will cause them no end of grief with existing employees who have had similar requests refused, and therefore they can't justify offering it to a new member of staff.

I don't think offering part time rather than compressed means their family friendliness is in doubt tbh. Many businesses would refuse to adapt full time hours for a new recruit at all.

the fact other people have been turned down before is not a business reason but I would assume there was a business reason that the request has been turned down before ..you could ask on what grounds it was turned down for these people

Sounds to me like they are trying to accomodate you and although its not exactly the terms you wanted its close.

thanks for taking the time to respond flowery and frasersmummy. It's the first time I've had a flexible working request refused and I'm still feeling a bit raw after the redundancy I suppose - the prospect of working 5 days a week and missing out on that 1 quality time day in order to have a better quality of life is just not sitting very comfortably with me - however, I guess I'll have more time of an evening and weekends with my girls.

I suspect that the business reason is that they expect people to work over their contracted hours without "benefit" - the initial reason given to me was along those lines...

Either of you expert in advising on whether by accepting this job offer I'll forfeit my redundancy payment?

Thanks again!

To be fair to them, they are not expecting you to miss out on a quality time day, they've offered you 4 days a week, so it's not as if you have no choice.

Plus if most people work a bit more than contracted hours only, in my view it's fair enough to decline compressed hours. If the average working day is, say 8.45-6 with half an hour for lunch 5 days a week, as in nearly 44 hours for contracted hours of 37.5, you can see why they wouldn't want to allow someone to work contracted hours only in fewer days and get paid the same. It's asking for resentment tbh.

Job offers with a new employer have no bearing on redundancy you receive from a previous employer.

You haven't made a far under the legal provision. You have to have worked there for 26 weeks to do that. So they don't have to justify their decision. You have no right to make a fwr ar this point.

Fwr not far.