I work somewhere with weird shifts. We open at 7am and close at 11pm 7 days a week. There are 8hr, 10 hr and 12 hr shifts each day, on rotation every week, for 10 members of staff.
I'm due to go back from maternity leave in January and in the process of finding childcare I've found it impossible to find after 6pm and weekend care available (I live in a small village, town is 30 mins away, city is an hour, work is 5 min walk) theres one(!) childminder but she only takes children when are toilet trained (ds is advanced, but still in nappies at 4 months 😂)
The nursery has a place for him but I have to have set days and times (i.e. Monday 9-6, weds 8-4 etc)
I put in a request for flexible working, asking to do my 30 hours in 3 days of 8 and one day of 6 hours, the same set days every week between 8 and 5 due to childcare, with a review in 6 months. They've said no.
Formally I was told it's because it's unfair on other staff that I would effectively get evenings/weekends off but informally (gossip) I was the manager (I'm assistant manager) wouldn't even consider it because she has just come back from maternity leave and has to cope so why can't I? Difference being she has a live in husband who is a sahd (Me and dp have separate households and live 30 miles apart - long story but it's another thread)
Can I appeal? I will have to give up my job otherwise as like I said I don't have childcare 11pm at night. I don't know what I'd do - there are not many job opportunities in my village, I don't drive so can't work in town/city as no public transport (1 bus every 3 hours, no trains) so I'd have to sign on until I found something else.
I moved to this village for my job (transferred from one location to help set up this one) and I've given them 5 years of hard work to make it successful and I feel like it's not a big ask after everything I've done for them.