How do flexible working requests work?

[Rainbowhairdontcare]

I have asked to work from home 15 hours per week when I get back from maternity leave. My employer said "there's definitely a possibility of it" but that's how far we've gone (he still has to discuss it with his business partner). My current role doesn't let me work from home but once I get back it will be a completely different one.

My main reason to request this is to save on commuting and childcare costs.

It has to work for the business so you need to wait to see what they say

You will have childcare on those days thought won’t you?

No I won't. I wouldn't have any meeting and everything would be project based (for those couple of days anyways). I was able to work that way for 7 years with my previous company.

Um will you be “working” whilst looking after your baby?!

If so expect your request to be declined.

I WFH 2 days a week but DC in nursery those days like normal. I couldn’t work with DC around (my job requires concentration).

I think working from home usually means you have to have childcare on those days. I definitely would not allow working from home for an employee who would have a young child at home on those days.

I would expect any of my WFH staff to have proper childcare and not be juggling work with looking after their kids

Realistically you cannot do and expect to be paid for a full day's work while looking after your child. How wpukd you handle phonecalls, online meetings etc without interruption. Have you put the request in writing, if so there is a timeline for response.

It's project based, so at least for those three months it would mean working three hours anytime during the day (including when DH is home). Once back FT those 15 hrs would have more structure to them. Part of my new role is to liaise with clients with Latin America and their working day starts at 3pm over here so my hours will naturally shift a bit too, meaning DH would be able to look after baby.

Once I'm back FT I do expect baby to be in nursery but no more than one session as I don't think it would be necessary.

There would be no phonecalls nor lettings during the first three months, only emails and translations that can be done anytime during the day.

*meetings not lettings!

You can't expext to be apid for work whilst also doing childcare.

Massive CF-ery and sorry but it gives working mums a bad name as people think all mums do it when we are WFH.

If you want to work, you should pay for childcare.

I did it for 7 long years, never had an issue! I don't like working from home at all, just do it as a way to save a tiny bit on childcare. Especially those three months, when it's absolutely doable.

It would be more challenging once I go back FT but like I said at least 8 hours of the 15 DH would be at home and the other 8 would probably have a CM depending of what they ask me to do.