Change to working hours request

[mamawoo]

Just looking for some advice on how to do this fairly. Currently manage a team of 2 in a company of around 180. We are the only 3 to do our job and we get a lot of pressure from board and senior management team. I work quite closely with CEO and got to be manager after proposing quite a lot of changes directly to him this time last year which he then implemented and I now report directly into another member of the board. Despite this I am paid quite poorly (the lowest paid manager in the business) with non 'people managers' and other non-managers earning lots more than me.i work full time 8:30-5 M-F I have been here just over 2 years.

I'm a single mum with 2 DS and a DD. DS1 17 lives with their dad after an argument with DS2 and then decided to stay their as I was never home and he wanted a little more support with his GCSEs. DS2 is in year 8 - year 7 was horrendous for him and after thinking Year 7 was different, it's not. He is home from school at 2:30 and despite finishing at 5, I am not home until 6.30 ish (I only work twenty mins away but I never get to leave dead on 5 then it's a walk to my car and a stop at the childminders the n the traffic!)

DD is 8 is doing fine at school and copes well with being in childcare long days of 7:20-6pm. She has expressed an interest in more after school clubs seeing friends after school all of which she can't do due to my hours.

I have been feeling really frustrated at work and not valued and that my family need me more. So looking at a change of hours request but so not to impact my salary - in an ideal world 9-2:30 M-F would be amazing as would cut my childcare costs to 0 and I would be paid what I have after I pay childcare now! However this will never get approved.

What's a fair compromise? Can they change your contract (I am on a manager contract with additional holiday at present) I am salaried but will they just pro rata it to the hours I will be doing? If they say no where does that leave me?

You have a Better chance of improving your situation if you propose something that works for the employer too. I am struggling to see how they will agree to reducing your hours at all if you regularly leave late to cover the work. Who will cover the work when you leave at 2:30 etc?

Would you be happier if they paid you more fairly?

Or what about starting an hour early and leaving earlier so you have more evening time with the children, or starting earlier Mon to Thurs and finishing half day on a Friday etc?

Yes any reduction in hours would be likely to result in a pro rata reduction in salary and annual leave.

I only ever leave 10/15 mins late normally just as I'm prepping the next day our work load is varying some days I leave 5 minutes before 5 etc. As a team we all do the same work it would be at times of holiday when we would be two people instead of 3 it would cause an issue and I'm struggling to think of a fair compromise.

I thought it was just a pro rata which is fine as I can financially survive on that but was thinking would they just change my whole contract and reduce my hourly rate.

I do have the ability to WFH (work of a laptop and have a work phone etc) and they are big on promoting this - albeit my director isn't keen on this for our department as a regular while the rest of the office get a wfh day each week.

I was recently told I was getting a substantial pay rise and then found out it was £700 per annum - I don't mean to sound ungrateful but that's not substantial and makes no difference each month.

I spoke with HR yesterday and they said you have to go hard with these requests as they will barter you back up.

Sorry for any typos in posts my phone screen is cracked and I can't see what I'm typing properly!

I think you have the right to ask for flexible working to be considered but I don't think they are obliged to honour your request, check on the Gov.Uk website, they have loads of info on work issues.