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Original poster

Flexible working request to WFH

15 replies

summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 19:23

Background : specialist nurse for a countrywide company. Attempt to stay "local" (within 1.5hours drive) but sometimes demand is in other areas and if there is no nurses in that area I can be called upon and expected to go. This is sometimes a one off and sometimes it can mean going there every week for months until the work is done. Any travel more than 1hr 45 means over night hotel stays.

Child minder works 8-5pm.

My hours aren't set but as it's a private company I have KPIs I have to achieve. This will be impossible if there is travel involved as I won't have enough clinical time.

One 2.5 year old and one baby so flexible working request will be for when I go back to work after mat leave.

There are various teams in the company and one team is solely WFH, one team is hybrid and I'm on the field based team currently.

Planning to ask to move to the WFH team so I can guarantee child pick ups and drop offs and be able to achieve my workload. Not forever, but am going to ask for whilst the children are young.

Company aren't particularly family friendly, I suspect my request will be rejected which will lead me to (reluctantly as I love my job) looking for a new job.

Husband is great and will do drops and picks when possible, but also has a peripatetic role and I just don't want the weekly headache of working out who is doing what. Both our work will vary week to week.

Any pointers or tips what to include in the application to help it get approved so I can move team? Should I include reference to my union support document etc? Should I use the government form online? It doesn't ask for WHY I want to do it, should I include this anyway?

I've worded bits "I would like to be able to continue my career within ....(company name) and WFH would enable me the flexibility to achieve this whilst my children are young." Does that hint that if I can't change teams then I'll be handing my notice in?

OP posts:
Foreversearch · 04/04/2023 20:27

@summerlovingvibes definitely set out what your boundaries are. So must be home by 5pm as child care ends etc. Be very specific about the time criteria.

The reason for doing this is so your employer can work with you to come up with a solution. For example if childcare is 8 -5 you may be able to do hybrid e.g. 8-12 mobile but no more than 1 hour drive 1-5 WFH.

If you can do hybrid with restrictions on distance that gives your employer more flexibility.

Also talk to the other teams (hybrid and wfh) and find out how they work/working patterns and if there are any “difficult times” you could cover. Thinking about it from the wider business perspective/fitting in with colleagues shows you have really thought about it.

HTH

Foreversearch · 04/04/2023 20:29

Meant to add you can say current role/working pattern no longer feasible following birth of second DC etc.

Plus offer to do a trial period so you can both see how it works.

Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:30

I don't think I quite understand the set-up - do the other team do the same work as you but fully remotely? If it's not the same job then you're not putting in a flexible working request, you're applying for a transfer to a new job.

ilovewispas · 04/04/2023 20:32

You need to explain why Wfh gives you flexibility as otherwise it sounds as if you are looking after your children at home. Explain it is to collect your children from childcare.

Also, are there any actual vacancies on the wfh team? They can't be expected to create a job if there isn't one. If there are, then it's a reasonable request.

Cantstaystuckforever · 04/04/2023 20:32

Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:30

I don't think I quite understand the set-up - do the other team do the same work as you but fully remotely? If it's not the same job then you're not putting in a flexible working request, you're applying for a transfer to a new job.

This.

Original poster
summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 20:33

Thank you. There's not the possibility to split days to some WFH and some field work, it's all or nothing each day. And I can't work across teams, it has to be one or the other.

So I'll make it clear that I have to be able to work within the specific times and see what they come up with. The issue with travel is always traffic or if clinics over run and I'm literally wall to wall with appointment times / finishing clinics late.

Each nurse has their own case load so we don't have to share / help each other out, so it's kind of self management of diary which means that I can't really offer to help in busy times because everyone runs their own days. But I'll try to think of a benefit to them for me working from home - I guess it means I will be able to achieve KPIs which will give good statistics to the company as opposed to me failing and underachieving for their clients that sponsor us.

OP posts:
Original poster
summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 20:33

Foreversearch · 04/04/2023 20:29

Meant to add you can say current role/working pattern no longer feasible following birth of second DC etc.

Plus offer to do a trial period so you can both see how it works.

That's a good idea re : trial period - I'll add that thanks x

OP posts:
Original poster
summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 20:37

Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:30

I don't think I quite understand the set-up - do the other team do the same work as you but fully remotely? If it's not the same job then you're not putting in a flexible working request, you're applying for a transfer to a new job.

Yeh technically we all do the same job, but some of us travel and some of us do remote consultations. Prior to covid, all nurses travelled all the time. Then covid hit and they set up video and telephone consultations which is now offered to about 50% of the patients that we review. So it's a bit of pot luck which team you are on and in the past my local area has always had a lot of demand for face to face work, so it suited me well. Obviously prior to children I didn't mind travelling (opted to go to Cornwall for a week here or there etc), but now that's just not possible.

So it's exactly the same role, just a different team. And people do get moved around the company to different teams, but it's just usually when it suits the company, not at the request of nurses. That's why I want to put in an "official" request because if I simply asked my manager, it would be a straight no.

OP posts:
Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:37

But I'll try to think of a benefit to them for me working from home - I guess it means I will be able to achieve KPIs which will give good statistics to the company as opposed to me failing and underachieving for their clients that sponsor us.

While obviously you need to show the benefits I really don't think it's wise to tell your employer that if they don't let you change teams you'll fail to do your job.

Original poster
summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 20:39

ilovewispas · 04/04/2023 20:32

You need to explain why Wfh gives you flexibility as otherwise it sounds as if you are looking after your children at home. Explain it is to collect your children from childcare.

Also, are there any actual vacancies on the wfh team? They can't be expected to create a job if there isn't one. If there are, then it's a reasonable request.

Good point, I'll see if I can find out if there are vacancies on the WFH team ...

OP posts:
Original poster
summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 20:39

Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:37

But I'll try to think of a benefit to them for me working from home - I guess it means I will be able to achieve KPIs which will give good statistics to the company as opposed to me failing and underachieving for their clients that sponsor us.

While obviously you need to show the benefits I really don't think it's wise to tell your employer that if they don't let you change teams you'll fail to do your job.

Ok noted, Will think carefully how I word this

OP posts:
Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:40

Sorry, cross-post - I don't think this is a flexible working request at all. You want to move to another team but that means that team has to have a vacancy. You can't just ask to do it because it would be better for you in the same way as you would put in a flexible working request.

Incidentally I find the way your company is managing this bizarre and quite arbitra - I can't fathom why everyone isn't hybrid -

Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:41

Sorry for terrible formatting, that sent before I meant it to!

Original poster
summerlovingvibes · 04/04/2023 20:50

Hardbackwriter · 04/04/2023 20:40

Sorry, cross-post - I don't think this is a flexible working request at all. You want to move to another team but that means that team has to have a vacancy. You can't just ask to do it because it would be better for you in the same way as you would put in a flexible working request.

Incidentally I find the way your company is managing this bizarre and quite arbitra - I can't fathom why everyone isn't hybrid -

Ok thanks, I'll check about vacancies. Our website has an advert currently looking for staff and includes "some work will be done remote from home" but doesn't specify which team has vacancies so I'll have to see if I can ask one of the managers.

All the staff would prefer hybrid but depending on the project at the time it just isn't possible. Some projects you have to be patient facing and some involves audits and admin work.

So hence the different teams.

But geography has always been a nightmare for the company and we have (as nurses) tried for years to get the MD to agree to a solution... but it just hasn't happened.

Annoyingly before my first child I was on a fab local team all within my own county. And then on mat leave they moved me to a different team as they needed more help on that team and that's when I've ended up travelling all over the country.

OP posts:
Foreversearch · 04/04/2023 21:01

@summerlovingvibes that all makes sense. It can be difficult from an op to get all the nuances.

So go with can no longer do mobile role would like WFH etc.

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