Flexible Working

[ThiefOnMyIsland]

I've been in my current role for 22 weeks. I work a 40 hour week and commute just over 60 miles per day (round trip). Sometimes travel can take up to 3 hours a day altogether, it just depends on traffic.

I am considering requesting flexible working with my employer, but I'm not sure it will go down too well with my line manager. I'm trying not to give too much away but things here have always been done a certain way and to deviate from 'the way we've always done it' can lead to negative responses. The CEO has positive thoughts to flexible working, whilst my line manager has less so. I am wanting to ask for a working from home day once a week (two would probably be better but I think that may be pushing it).

I am the sole fundraiser for the organisation and that is meant to encompass everything (advertising, marketing, events, PR, donations, letter writing, grant making etc). It is a lot of hard work and I'm finding more and more that I'm pretty much being taken over by the donations and letter writing side of things. I get interrupted in my office frequently. I believe that working from home would allow me to formulate proper marketing and fundraising strategies (as we currently have none), as well as focus on other aspects of my job that I cannot focus on at the moment.

In the past fortnight the traffic has been a nightmare, resulting in my being late for work on a few occasions. Our eldest daughter goes to out of school club, which opens at 7.15, so I drop her off and come to work. I stress about getting here on time and about getting home in time to do the pick ups. In a way we kind of do flexible working already,for example I was late by 30 minutes last week but got here early by 40 minutes so it all balanced out. When I was given the job, I was told that any extra time I worked would be given in lieu. However, I've found that this isn't the case. Since I've started I've worked roughly an extra 2 hours (sometimes more, sometimes less) per week. My line manager is frequently here 40 minutes early every day (and stays after finishing time), but when she had an appointment a few weeks ago and was in an hour late she mentioned having to make that hour back up.

I don't want to step on any toes, but at the moment I am becoming quite disillusioned with the role. It sounded perfect on paper and a chance to really gain some good experience in many different areas, but I'm so bogged down by admin stuff that there's no way I can do certain parts of the job that I was brought in to do. The only way I'd be able to do those parts would be to work after getting home and with three children, one still breastfeeding morning and night, I find myself too exhausted to do that at the moment.

Would I be unreasonable requesting flexible working? I'm not sure who to address the letter to when I apply formally at the beginning of next month - line manager and CEO?

Any positive stories of flexible working requests would be most welcome. Thanks in advance and apologies for the long post

"I'm so bogged down by admin stuff"

You may well have considered this, but at the moment it sounds like you are seeing working from home as an opportunity to get rid of some of your workload and concentrate on the things you feel are more important.

Flexible working requests should be about how you can manage your current job (not what you wish your current job was) in a flexible way.

Concerns with your workload/the balance of tasks you have are concerns that should be addressed with your line manager, and are not something you should attempt to resolve in this way.

That's not to say you shouldn't put in a request at all, but if you would not be able to demonstrate how your current workload would be covered, your request is more likely to be refused. If you sort out your workload issues and can actually get some of the admin off your plate, then review it and see if you still feel working from home would be sensible for both you and the employer, and then perhaps put in a request. That would also give you a chance to get more established and become more valued.

Although you technically have the right to request flexible working after 26 weeks, common sense indicates that established, valued employees are more likely to find their requests for flexibility being agreed.

Thank you for your reply flowery.

I can see how it comes across like that, but my main reason for working from home would be to better manage my workload. At the moment people come in and ask for various things, which I'll do for them of course but it takes me away from what I'm trying to do. The admin stuff could all be done on one full day, maybe a day and a half, and I have tried to allocate time for the admin type stuff, but I get a lot of 'can you just do this' etc. I feel pulled in many different directions because I've got a lot to do, this is true, but I'm not trying to shirk any responsibilities that I currently have, just trying to manage them better, and I think home working would really help a lot.

The lady who did my role before me today mentioned maybe reducing my hours (she now does payroll), as my children are young, but her saying this is probably in response to the few times I've been late also. She and my line manager are quite close and i'm not sure whether they've spoken about me at all. I want to have a chat with my line manager about the role, as it involves a lot more now I'm meant to be pushing the Organisation forward in terms of marketing etc. The only problem is that she sees my role being fine as long as the donations are logged, the grants are applied to and the letters are written, with the in-house events organised as they come up.

I see your point about the length of time I have been here too. There are plans to expand the fundraising team in the future, but at the moment there isn't the money for it and the other factors on making it happen may not come to pass. Thank you again for your input, I will definitely take that into consideration before I make any requests.