Can someone who knows about requesting flexible working please read this and comment?

[TwinkleInSantasEye]

Any insomniacs out there? This is my formal letter of application for flexible working. Any comments would be very much appreciated as my line manager has been pretty obstructive when I have broached the subject informally. This letter is to her manager who has been in contact with me while I've been on maternity leave. Thank you!!!:

Dear...

Further to our phone conversation yesterday, I am hereby making a formal application for flexible working under the statutory right to request a flexible working pattern. I hope that this can form the basis of a meeting when I return to work.

I can confirm that I have responsibility for the upbringing of a child under the age of six. My son is nearly 5 months old.

I wish to apply to work from home for one day a week. This is to enable me to care for my son on that day as my husband will be working part time and the cost of nursery care for an extra day is prohibitive.

I understand that there are concerns regarding access to information held in the office. However, you have previously suggested to me that I could consider spending some time working from home. If you remember, we discussed how I could achieve this by planning my work so that I save the most appropriate tasks, such as reading and summarising reports and writing letters, for my day at home and ensure that I have the necessary information to hand.

Whilst much of the work I do does require access to the paper files, all the current information is being recorded digitally. Other members of the section work with laptop computers rather than desktop computers to enable them to work away from the office. If my desktop computer were to be replaced with a laptop, I could then be responsible for ensuring I have an up to date copy of the database on the laptop each week. This would mean that it would be possible for me to carry out many aspects of my work from home, including the checking of weekly lists, etc. using the database on a read-only basis. Whilst there is always a need to check the paper files on some occasions, I currently save up these checks to do as a batch and I would continue to do this. Working from home would cause little, if any, extra delay in completing the task.

I can foresee that another concern would be my availability to deal with phone calls. There is already an established system of answerphone usage within the team. I would suggest that the second office answerphone could be used for my direct line on the day I work from home. I think I understand correctly that it is possible to check for messages remotely. I therefore propose that I could phone the answerphone during the day to check for messages and respond to calls accordingly. This would not, therefore, place any additional burden on other staff. In the case of any calls for me received on other lines, the messages could be e-mailed to me as usual since I would be checking my work e-mail from home.

I would obviously be hoping for the change to my working pattern to take place at the earliest opportunity after I return to work full time. I can confirm that I have not made a previous application for flexible working in the last twelve months.

I am sure that there will be other issues that would need to be resolved, but I hope that I have addressed some of the potential concerns to your satisfaction.

Yours...

It sounds okay to me.

Thanks VVVQV! And thanks as well for the info you gave me the other day.

X posted. Thanks NurseyJo too!

No problem

I hope you get what you want.

EOC website (brill!) gives these tips:
Rights under the Sex Discrimination Act
As a mother with childcare commitments, you have the right to challenge a refusal to allow you to work flexibly if there is no objective reason for the refusal. This is an ongoing right under the Sex Discrimination Act, independent of the new rights for parents of young children. Men can also use the Sex Discrimination Act to challenge a refusal to allow flexibility for caring reasons if they are treated less favourably than female colleagues.

More parental leave
From 6 April 2003, the law will allow fathers to take two weeks paid paternity leave, maternity rights will be improved and there will be new rights for people adopting a child.

The Equal Opportunities Commission's 10 Top Tips for parents
Consider all the options: for example, you can apply to change the number of hours you work, what time you work, or to work from home.

Apply as soon as you know what your needs are: to allow time for discussion and negotiation, and for your employer to put alternative arrangements in place to cover the work.

Be very clear about the changes you want: remember that you can only make a request once a year. Any changes agreed will be written into your contract of employment.

If you have more than one flexible working option: describe them all to your employer, saying which is your preferred choice and why.

Explain how the work could be managed around your changed hours: you may have suggestions that your employer has not considered.

Emphasise your continued commitment to the organisation: remind them of the skills and experience you bring to the job and outline any circumstances in which you could provide additional cover to cater for emergencies.

Know your rights: the new procedure is not an automatic right to work flexibly but your employer must treat your request seriously.

What if your employer refuses? If your employer refuses your request, they must justify their decision in writing. If they don't follow the correct procedure, you have the option take your claim to an employment tribunal.

Sex discrimination: you may have a claim under the Sex Discrimination Act if you feel that your request for flexible working has been refused because of your sex, or if it is granted on condition that you accept a demotion.

Want to know more? For more information contact the Equal Opportunities Commission helpline or look at the other pages in this section of our website.

I just wanted to put in a few comments on this from the perspective of someone who has submitted a flexible working request and also as a manager.

My manager doesn't allow people to work from home if they are also caring for children as she feels that they won't actually get much time to work. As the mother of an 8mth old I know that even the mechanics of feeding, nappy changing and so forth do take up a fair bit of time. It might be worthwhile saying how you would cover your working hours i.e. presumably you would start earlier and do some in the evening once your DS has gone to bed to ensure that you are covering a full working day.

You have put a lot of thought into how the phones could be covered which is great as I think managers tend to pick at the details so the more you give then the less worries they will have.

Good luck for your application

I want to agree with what Rookie has said. I've yet to submit a FW request as my son is only 2 months old but in our company handbook it states that if you are working from home you must have childcare arranged as it would be if you were in the office.

I know that managers will allow parents to work from home as a one off if their child is ill but in a standard working arrangement, it's a no-no.

I thought your letter was spot on though - obviously thought about all the issues the manager could raise.

Good luck!

Sounds a very good request, but can I clarify you are asking to work from home one day a week so you can look after your baby on that day??? How will you work and look after a baby?????? If you will work when your husband is home so you won't have sole care of the baby, or will work in the evening when baby asleep, you need to make this clear I think - if I was a manager there is no way I would allow an employee to work from home when they also had a baby with them.....

but good luck with it, hope you get what you want.

Take your point all of you on the childcare thing. Yes I would be making up hours in the evening and spreading the work over some of the weekend as well, though I'm not sure how my employer would react to weekend working. We do have a flexitime system, therefore any hours that I lost while working at home I would make up over the rest of the week. There does seem to be an established system at my workplace where people with childcare issues can work from home. As I said, my DH will be working part time - not sure how we could do it but maybe I could work from home on a day when he's at home as well, although that would negate the cost benefit on the childcare. The main reason I want to do this btw is so I don't have to be in the office for 5 days a week as it does my head in!

I work full time but one day a week from home and from 8-4 instead of 9-5. I've had this in place since ds was 6 months.
I really really wouldn't say you need the day at home to look after the baby. I said it was so I could take ds at lunchtime between two different carers and so I didn't have to drive every day.
He is at home with me when I work from home but a. he sleeps in the morning b. I rely massively on CBeebies c. My Dad takes him to the park in the afternoon and d. The rest of the time he is a pain and has picked the keys off two of my work laptops now!
But my work don't know this and I do end up working longer hours at home as I feel guilty.

Thing is, my manager suggested this to me!

as other people have commented, if i were your manager i would be very skeptical about your ability to look after a baby and work at the same time, which is how your letter reads, even if that's not what you intend exactly.

i think that i would rephrase the part of your letter to suggest that you would be working 5 days worth of hours over 4 days - as your flexitime allows - with the fifth day's hours worked from home. or that you would be working early mornings/evenings on the fifth day before your partner goes to work, whilst he has care of the baby.

it sounds like you have comprehensively covered the bases in terms of the practicalities.

good luck

OK thanks for all your input. I don't think I need any more comments about my reasons as I've heard loud and clear! I will be rephrasing that part of the letter as Mary suggests as I'm well aware that I can't do a full working day whilst alone with DS. Thanks for the other comments on the practicalities as well.

But I do think it's a shame that managers, especially female ones, aren't a bit more understanding and trusting of their employees. How do they think self-employed people cope, because I know several who combine their work with looking after babies - bet they don't spend their days chatting and drinking coffee like many people who are in offices. Must say I'm almost put off applying now!

But I did ask for comments and I am grateful - really! At least I'm more prepared for the backlash!

oh twinkle, don't be put off. what you are asking to do is reasonable enough and it sounds like there is a precedent for homeworking at your workplace - so they would probably find it very difficult to turn you down.

if people have offered a critical view, i am sure its only because they want you to have the best chance of getting what you want!

( got to be very honest though and say think about how things will change in just a few months time. its totally feasible to work effectively whilst looking after a 7 month old baby - but a toddler? - no chance....but so long as you are realistic about how much can be achieved with a little one in tow it should work out fine.)

Technically you don't have to go into too much detail/justification at this stage, just formal request and what you want. Upon receipt they have to arrange a meeting with you within 28 days, this is to discuss the request in more detail and talk through how you would cover the work etc. I agree with the comments about caring for your child whilst at home.

I also wouldn't put 'i am sure there are other issues......'
After the meeting they have 14 days to give you the decision (only 8 reasons they can turn you down but if they have a good HR person its fairly easy to manipulate!). You then have an appeal process etc. Good luck, nice to see you thinking positive and making suggestions to help work it out rather than some people i have seen who just expect the employer to say yes regardless.
Go onto the DTI website for full guidelines

Well, I'll give it a go but I don't plan on being a full time working mum for any longer than I have to. All of your comments, helpful though they are, have made me realise even more that my mind is firmly focussed on caring for DS and work is a very poor second place. I would love to request part-time working but
a) I can't afford to, and
b) they reckon my job can't be done part-time or job share.

I think the idea of working from home whilst putting DS in childcare anyway is nonsense, personally. I might just as well go into the office. Despite all the touchy-feely flexible working stuff it seems that work and babies just don't mix when it comes to the crunch.

Anyway, I'm sorry I don't mean to take it out on you people. As I said, I did ask for your comments and you all sound experienced in the world of work/children. I shan't post on this thread again. Thanks for your help.