Reducing hours after maternity leave

[London91]

I'm due to go back to work in August. I've done some number crunching and I can afford to go back on slightly reduced hours, and hopefully work over 4 days.

How would you approach it? I get on well with my line manager, should I approach her about it informally before formally requesting it through HR? I work for a large company if that makes any difference. I know that work have 3 months to consider my request, so I'm keen to get it all sorted prior to my return.

TIA!

Hi I have no answers for you but I'm hoping to do the same! Hopefully someone with experience will come and give some good advice.

I go back I. June to nhs. Thinking about broaching with my manager informally in January so we can come to an informal arrangement first so when I do the paper work it's just a box ticking exercise

I'd approach my line manager first, especially if you have a good relationship. I'd be a bit if someone put in a formal request that I had no idea was coming.

Others may disagree and I think it depends on your working relationship, company policy etc

You're right, there are timelines in place legally for Flexible Working Requests. I'd say that if you are in touch with your manager, as you hopefully will be, you could chat informally and ask about the process you need to follow.
Normally they'll need a request in writing. My work has a form which you would fill in with your proposal, any benefits to the business etc.
One tip is to have a Plan B, for example, if they can't accommodate, say a Friday, could you come up with an alternative.
Good luck zOP, I hope it works out 😊

Ps, they might suggest a trial period to see if it works out for both you and the business.

Yes speak to your line manager, I did and then had to put in a formal request to both her and the boss. Think about how you can cover your work in those 4 days, keep it quite factual instead of emotional.

I work in HR and I told my manager and then put it in via a flexible working request. I worked for a HR Consultancy and even though someone else did what I wanted they declined it because they were dingbats, I appealed and they didn’t even give me the outcome before I resigned....a few days left on the 3 month limit....!

I left and got a much better job elsewhere so it was fine in the end for me.

Working in HR I had every good argument but they still declined it as the Head of department ‘didn’t like part timers’ (she told me this a few years earlier) doh

@ReadySteadyBed

I work in HR and I told my manager and then put it in via a flexible working request. I worked for a HR Consultancy and even though someone else did what I wanted they declined it because they were dingbats, I appealed and they didn’t even give me the outcome before I resigned....a few days left on the 3 month limit....!

I left and got a much better job elsewhere so it was fine in the end for me.

Working in HR I had every good argument but they still declined it as the Head of department ‘didn’t like part timers’ (she told me this a few years earlier) doh

This doesn't surprise me. Although my work have a really robust process for Flexible Working, as a manager I have twice had to remind my own manager that these are rights people have, they have the right to reply, and we need to handle them properly. My boss thinks if agree one, suddenly everyone will apply.

Thanks ladies, I'll ask her to give me a call to discuss. 😊

Definitely an informal chat first, get the lay of the land to see if there are any obstacles and then when you put your flexible working request in you can address any issues that they might raise.

Forewarned is forearmed. My manager actually chatted to me before I even went off on maternity leave (lovely woman for doing that) saying they are flexible which I knew as there was already a job share and even though they did 2 1/2 days each one woman did it over 4 days to allow her to do the school run every day.

Informal chat first then formal flexible working application.
Remember you are meant to think about how the effects on colleagues and the business can be mitigated. Just putting 'getting someone else to do it' does not do this.