How long in a job before putting in flexible working request?

[LisaSimpsonsbff]

I started a job 6 months ago. I asked before starting it whether they'd consider offering it at 0.8, they said no, I accepted it full-time. I would really like to go down to 0.9 hours over 4 days - this is quite common at my employer and I am confident that it would be workable for my role. But I'm worried that I'll look cheeky/unreasonable to put in for a slightly amended version of what they said no to six months ago - on the other hand, they didn't know me at all then, and they do now (and I think they consider me a productive worker, I've hit every deadline easily and I've made sure that I've always been flexible about work that might require extra hours to show willing). Any thoughts on this? Is it mad to even think of putting in an application this soon into the job?

If there is already precedent at your company, just put in your request anyway even though you asked 6 months ago and see what justification they give for declining you, if they do.

Some places are still living in the 19th century and seem to need everyone bums on seats even though the evidence shows people are productive when they don't have a commute and distractions in an office.

I wouldn't leave if they said no - and I suspect they would know that, which wouldn't put me in the strongest negotiating position!

I am fairly sure legally it’s 12 months, and then you can only apply once every 12 months.

I applied, have been declined but told I can take as much unpaid leave as I like, which works better.

Check your company policy as it's often permissible to request FW after 26 weeks. 6 months is adequate time to create a track record. If you've been reliable, on time and productive they will probably not want to demotivate you by rejecting a reasonable request for no justification.

I would maybe wait a year and then at your yearly review ask for your original request. They can only say no and nothing ventured nothing gained.

If you have completed 6 months then you can apply but it can takes months to get a decision.

It would be sensible to have considered a range of options, hours, days etc in case what you want is not doable but something another version is. You may need to negotiate something that works for both of you so sit down and think about it now.

Just to clarify, 26 weeks is the statutory time an employee needs to have worked for their employer to earn the right to apply for FW.

It's legally 26 weeks service, and that's also what it says in my employer's flexible working policy.

I think the job could easily be done in 0.9, but I don't know how you say that without pointing out that you're a bit underworked at the moment?! I have offered to take more on over and over again, to the point that I'm worried about being irritating to my boss if I keep doing it.

The reason they won't want to do it, and definitely didn't want to do it when I was a person they'd met in one 45 minute interview who might have turned out to be crap, is that the way the employer (a large public sector organisation) works means that if they agree they'll essentially lose the other 0.1 of my job and would have to go through a bidding process for it if I ever left. That will never change, though, and as I said other people work this pattern so it can't be insurmountable?!

Thank you for all the advice, by the way!

The other complicating factor is that we plan to start TTC-ing a second baby in the summer and part of me is tempted to leave it for now and see what happens with that, but DS took two years so that plan could mean he's at school before I go part-time, or just that I never do...

Usually 26 weeks. However, given that you've already requested them to consider a 0.80 and they've declined, they may ask you to wait a year. We only accept 1 flexible working request every 12 months.