Applied to reduce hours. Compromise offered but no start date.

[Arsenal123]

Hi

I have applied to reduce my hours as I feel I'm suffering from stress and depression.

I wanted to drop two days but they offered one day. They will not tell me the start date. We are short-staffed and have a retention problem.

I can appeal with HR within 14 days but don't want to make any trouble for myself (cliquey politics are part of the problem - one member of staff has stopped talking to me and I feel quite alienated and anxious at work).

It sounds silly but I feel my work-life will be made worse if I appeal. I once made a complaint about work conditions and subsequently often got sent to the furthest hospital away from me. Also when short-staffed they would take my assistant away to make my conditions worse.

I plan to leave but I can't rule out the possibility of coming back because of family ties.

Was there a question there? I'm not clear what you want.

What do you mean about planning to leave, but can’t rule out going back due to family ties, is this your family business?

I doubt an appeal will make a difference, as all flexi arrangements, reducing hours are at employer discretion, and if they are short staffed now, you working 2 days less probably doesn’t work for them.

What is the reason for your appeal? Other than you didn’t get what you want? An appeal should be based on then not following process or not providing an adequate reason for the refusal, not simply that you don’t like the answer. As they are short staffed it would seem that they have a valid business reason.