New manager - Could I get some help with this situation please

[user876009]

I have recently started in a new role as a manager. I manage a team of 5.
I have a member of the team who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and when she returned to work she requested to reduce her hours to work mornings.
I have another member of the team who was working full time who asked to reduce her hours just before the previous manager left and he agreed to reduce her contract to work school hours as she has childcare issues.
My problem is now that I am short in the afternoons/evenings and need one of these two staff members to work these shifts.
I have spoken to both staff members the childcare one said there was no way around it she has to work school hours or she will have to quit. The other staff member got a bit upset and explained that due to her treatment she experiences fatigue in the afternoon, which makes her anxiety worse and she is worried about not coping at work.
Can anyone advise on what to do?
Thank you

@FujiIX

You can do 2 things Insist that they both work extra hours as per their contract, and recruit when they inevitably resign Or recruit now for a person to fill the gap I think it would be easier to do the later

Cancer is a protected characteristic with regard to the Equality Act.....it would be an unwise decision to insist on changing those hours .....tribunals would have a field day

Cancer is a protected characteristic with regard to the Equality Act.....you would be an absolute idiot to mess with that persons hours......it would all end in tears ( and they would be yours)....It doesn’t matter whether the treatment was 1 year ago or 20 .....that person should still be treated as having a protected disability ( if that’s their wish)

You need to hire someone extra. As others have said the person with cancer is protected. And everyone can suggest you review the childcare persons contract or pushing them to find childcare all they like, she’s already said she will quit because she has no childcare, pointless pushing that button really.

I'm not a lawyer but doesn't asking a woman with a flexible working agreement for child care have the potential to be sex discrimination too?

So essentially the previous manager stitched you up by agreeing the second team member could do school hours.

I’m going to ask some more detail
What hours do you have to cover each day?
What hours do the 3 full time staff work?
What happens when full time staff take leave?

I know you may not want to out yourself, but what work isn’t done by being down by 1 person in the afternoons/evenings? Is it customers not getting a good service or is it production dips etc?

You need to hire a PT employee for the afternoon.

Your managing a workload based on 9,750 hours per year
Or
7.5 hrs × 260 days x 5 employee's

Your capacity is
7.5 hrs × 260 days x 3 employee's
4.0° hrs × 260 days x 1 employee
6.0° hrs × 260 days x 1 employee

Your shortfall is
5.0° hrs × 260 days x 1 employee

° estimated.

You are mismanaging by focused on the current number of employee's or the "headcount" rather than the relevant workload.

You may need to extra floor space and equipment or have the 2 am/pm employee's share a desk and have other small incremental cost for the extra employee.

But you need to focus on getting a new employee and check how the company will deal with a request by the other two employees to return to full time hour.

I would be submitting a business case to your own boss for extra cover in the afternoons! Esp if the previous manager was allowed to go over hours and have this cover, then if it really does need covering, and was covered previously, then appeal to higher up.

@Cuck00soup

I'm not a lawyer but doesn't asking a woman with a flexible working agreement for child care have the potential to be sex discrimination too?

No....it doesn’t 🙄

How did you solve it in the end @user876009?