Returning after Mat - change to PT issue

[IcedCoffeeAlways]

Going to keep this relatively vague as could be outing. Just looking for advice as to whether this is all ok.

Manager (M) and Assistant Manager (AM) both work 5 days out of 7. They do 3 days together and 2 days each covering the others days off.

AM goes on Mat Leave and requests change to PT hours on return. Asks to work 2 days. Company refuse on the basis that they would like continuity and need the M and AM to work at least 1 shift per week together. They counter offer a reduction to PT but 3 days. All accepted and fine.

Company then cut M to 4 days with the accompanying pay deduction as they’re trying to reduce business costs after the nightmare that covid has caused.

AM is paid less than M so benefits the company having her working that day instead.

Can the company do this? Keeping in mind that they refused the initial PT request of 2 days on the basis of needing at least 1 day overlap in management. AM has not yet returned from Mat and only found out about the cut to Ms hours when seeing the schedule for her return.

Two things have happened at different points in time.

They needed to asses the original request and either accept it or provide one of a number of specific business reasons as to why it could not be. It sounds like they did this.

Things changed afterwards, businesses need to be able to adapt. I can see no wrong doing here.

@Aprilx

Two things have happened at different points in time.

They needed to asses the original request and either accept it or provide one of a number of specific business reasons as to why it could not be. It sounds like they did this.

Things changed afterwards, businesses need to be able to adapt. I can see no wrong doing here.

@Aprilx Sorry, I haven’t made that clear in the original post - the request to change to 3 days being refused and the change to Ms hours happened within about 4/5weeks of each other. Turns out the discussion with M over dropping to 4 days had been ongoing for a number of months before the PT request was made.

So they didn’t disclose discussions with somebody else because they deemed that to be confidential. Sounds like somebody wanted to drop one day and somebody wanted to drop three days and they decided to go with 1 and 2 rather than 1 and 3.

I cannot see any grounds for a case to be made here. They considered the request, they responded to it, they offered a compromise which was accepted.

What is the upcoming that AM (I presume you) would want at this point? It is best to think of desired outcomes when considering workplace issues.

*rather than 0 and 3, that should say.