URGENT! - Points to make in flexible working appeal meeting?

[LMonkey]

Okay so it is getting late and my flexible working appeal meeting is tomorrow morning, and I have stupidly only just decided to post this thread. However, if there is anyone reading this who could help that would be really great.

I applied to reduce my hours to 3 full days which has been rejected due to

Burden of additional costs on the employer - due to the company growing they cannot afford to have a desk put aside only being used on a part time basis; and

Detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand - due to the nature of the work I do the company would not be able to offer clients the same level of high service that they have come to expect...not able to service those clients on the days I would not be in at the end of the week.

So in my appeal letter I have stated that I am willing to compromise and do either 3 full days spread out throughout the week, or 5 half days (not ideal but better than nothing).

Anyway, I am writing up notes of points to make in my appeal meeting but have failed to come up with anything to make it sound like it really benefits them from a business point of view, it just sounds like I'm defending myself or suggesting how it will benefit me. I know it's difficult for outsiders to come up with things as no one would know enough about it, but if anyone can think of something from the info I've given then that would be great as my brain really cannot seem to come up with anything!

Thanks

I thought that the burden of proof was on them to demonstrate it isn't viable for the business to allow you to be part time. Heres my non-professional thoughts.

So my questions.... How do they cope when you're on annual leave?

Have they investigated a job share - 1 desk, phone always answered etc.

Would you consider some sort of works mobile so you could potentially be contacted on non work days?

Home working 1 hr a day so all urgent client queries could be dealt with?

Definitely ask about a job share - if the role cannot be done part time then this your best bet. Also ask what alternatives they could suggest - are there any other jobs in the organisation that could be more easily done part time? Do you know anyone else on mat leave who might want to job share with you? They are risking a sex discrimination claim if they have not at least tried to recruit a job share. I'm hoping there will be an experienced HR person involved? Don't forget you have the right to be accompanied. If you decide to exercise that right you could ask for a delay to the hearing while you arrange it. It would most probably be unreasonable for them to refuse you that.

Try and be as helpful to them as possible without being a pushover - offer to help recruit/interview a job share and do extra hours or days to help train him or her. Agree to an extension of the legal time period to consider your request to help them investigate a job share (the timescale often panics a company into making a decision too quickly IMO)
Good luck

You need to try and work out whether the job can be done part time or not- by which I mean does it need someone doing it full time, does it need someone doing it at least part of every day or can it just be some days.

The answer to that determines whether you need to argue for job share, 5 day part time or your original request.

Be aware that job share is actually fairly early to turn down. Most job shares need handover, which has a financial cost, and there is additional cost in most benefits, etc - e.g. provision of life insurance will basically double. You have a better chance if you can push for one of the others.

Thanks, Queenofknickers, I am taking a colleague with me so that they can take some notes for me etc.

They stated in the refusal letter that they "had considered a job share but feel due to the importance of the work it is not in the company's best interests". However my job consists of 2 separate elements, completely unrelated to eachother, so I am going to suggest that I do one of them and someone else could be hired for the other one, therefore each person is 'owning' each job.

I genuinely think that the 5 day part time could work, and I have said that I'll be willing to do it on a trial basis, so I think I'm being quite reasonable. It's just a question of whether they'll make things difficult for me when I return.... things have changed a lot there while I've been gone so it's pretty nerve-wracking going back.

We'll see......thanks for your posts