NHS flexible working post-Maternity leave

[Georgina125]

I'm just looking for any advice on how to approach this.

I have a three month old baby who is my absolute sunshine after several previous horrific losses. I have been preparing early for my return to work, knowing that nurseries fill up quickly. I've found my child a full time place and reserved it.

I decided to informally speak to my manager about whether I could drop down to 4 days a week (would help save on expensive childcare but mostly I want to spend a bit more time with my baby, given how much I have been through to get to this point). I suggested also shifting my hours so I could pick my child up from nursery on time. This would mean I would cover one of the Early shift slots. Late shift would end far too late to pick up my child. Even a normal day shift is tight to pick up from nursery.

My boss was not open to discuss this at all. She immediately said I was eligible for all shifts and this was pretty much non-negotiable. And she said it was "highly unlikely" that I would be allowed to drop a day. I was hoping,by having an informal discussion, we could come up with a mutually agreeable solution but hey ho.

So I will make a formal flexible working request instead. It asks about the impact on my team and how this can be mitigated. I'm guessing that I can't use the fact that my position was left uncovered for six months when I had pregnancy related sickness and then maternity leave as evidence that working a 4 day week shouldn't be a problem?

I'm amazed reading this. I know the NHS is shit but most people in my hospital work reduced hours after returning from maternity leave or in some cases working shifts are significantly rejigged to fit in.
Have you checked all the maternity policies? Try speaking to HR.
I really don't think they can refuse your request to drop a day.
The answer is to find somewhere with more conducive hours if they persist in being unaccommodating.

Of course they can if they won’t be able to find cover! Had similar at my work,m someone wanted reduced hours and no weekends, this would have left part of each shift uncovered at the beginning and end of the day and the business wasn’t going to employ someone to do 2 hours in the morning and an hour at night. They also put that it would have no impact, when in fact we would have been permanently short staffed and would’ve ended up doing extra weekends.

@FannyCann having thought it through further, my boss would be in a difficult position if she agreed for me to lose a day. She would struggle to justify ever having my role as full time again, which would be an issue if I left.

I've been thinking of how to maximise my time with my child now. Hopefully if the time we do spend together is high quality, she won't notice the bedtimes missed and the weekends I am at work.

What area do you work in OP? Are you management as opposed to clinical? I really find this extraordinary. The NHS is rammed full of part time workers.

Most of the female consultants in my department are part time, and the younger ones have gone part time as they've had babies. (Admittedly radiology lends itself to part time). At least one of the male consultants is part time - he just likes to have more time at home with his young children and pursuing other projects he's working on.
When I worked at the Oxford Radcliffe they offered term time only contracts (not sure if they still do).
I think it's recognised that stress affects sickness levels. What can be more stressful than returning to full time work after maternity leave?
In my own team most of the older ones are part time, I've just dropped a day a week, getting too old to take the pace , in my formal request I wrote that I thought I would be a better worker for being more rested and my colleagues would appreciate that. (Or similar, not exact words).
Our younger colleagues are mostly full time but when one had a baby a couple of years ago she was looking to move back to ward working so she could do 12 hour shifts instead of 5 x 7.5. We didn't want to lose her and so it was arranged she could work 12 hour shifts even though we are a 8-5 service. It meant she came in early and started laying up trolleys, checking equipment and if there were patients who hadn't had pre-procedure blood tests as required she could get them in early and do the bloods. In the evenings it meant if we had procedures going over time she could take over and we wouldn't be late off, then she stocked up and checked blood results and paperwork. It also meant that if her baby was poorly and she couldn't come in she would work another day to make up the hours.
Sadly she has taken a nurse specialist role and we are really feeling her absence.

I really can't think of many roles unless you are the chief exec why you couldn't work part time. Don't let them bully you on this. Go to HR.
And meanwhile look for something more congenial.

@FannyCann I'm a Band 7 in pathology. There's two of us so they've decided we can work full shifts because it should work out that one of us is in during the day to supervise and carry out Band 7 tasks. In practice, they run things so short that the Band 7 is usually covering in the main lab and expected to somehow also complete all their extra Band 7 duties. Cue trying to complete spreadsheets at 4am in between samples. Then mistakes happen and you get your butt kicked.

A friend has advised me not to give up because I have many months still on maternity leave and she thinks my boss clearly hopes I'll just give up so she doesn't have to do anything. I'm gonna give myself some time to ponder, let her ponder and then submit my request formally.

I do actually suffer from depression and PTSD due to my personal tragedies these last few years. I didn't consider that actually part of this would definitely be to help my mental health.

It sounds short staffed, and if you don't mind my saying somewhat poorly managed. How are they coping without maternity cover for you?
Could you suggest a job share? it sounds the sort of job that would be suitable.
If you can afford to work less and spend more time with your baby (remember the loss of earnings is offset against the saving you will make on nursery fees) then I would encourage you to do so. Your baby is precious and this lovely time is soon a thing of the past.
I hope it goes well for you OP. Don't let them walk all over you.

@FannyCann They've finally got maternity cover now but after months without cover, things are apparently quite bad. I like to think that I'm good at training, promoting staff development and encouraging teamwork. That all seems to have been given up. It's very sad because it doesn't have to be that way.

Doing the calculations, a 4 day work is just about affordable (I'm the higher earner). So I'll push ahead with building my case.

Back again! I've had some family tragedy stuff to deal with so only just dealing with making my formal flexible working request now. I found out that a colleague in another department (same Band, same type of work environment) had a very similar flexible working agreement to mine agreed last year. So I am reassured that I am not being unreasonable.

I wrote down all the reasons why I need the request (shifted hours for childcare purposes, reducing hours for work-life balance and mental health reasons) and how this can benefit the team (consistent line manager presence, better training for staff etc).

My manager has written back asking if I'd fully considered all childcare options because she is desperately in need of me doing the full shift (despite me not doing a full shift before my maternity leave). She said she has other staff returning from maternity leave around the same time and it isn't possible for all of us to have fixed hours. Though I do question if this is relevant, given I am doing a different job role. She's going to look into whether it's feasible to reduce my hours.

I'm very concerned. I am grateful that my reduced hours is being considered but if my hours can't be fixed, I can't do this job anymore. My daughter has to be picked up. My husbands work is flexible on his mornings, hence he can do drop off. But there is no way he can do pick up.

I believe that there is a great benefit from having someone of my banding and experience on the fixed hours even without my circumstances. But my boss seems desperate to put me on the shift saying there aren't enough people doing it.

I'm guessing I can only try my best and ask if there are other jobs I could be redeployed into if no agreement can be reached?

I second this advice. Unless your request considers the impact on your team it won't be approved

@njg616 The previous Band 7 in my list didn't work a full shift either and I haven't in the time I've worked here (as an informal agreement). Despite this, my boss is pressing hard with the angle that other staff would be under too much pressure if they have to cover "my" shifts. I have stated in my request that there are clear benefits from having a line manager in on a consistent shift, as I have shown previously when I only worked shifts by ad hoc agreement.

I wish I had made everything formal when I first took this job. My boss was desperate to recruit me then and agreed to no shifts, especially nights. I feel she has taken advantage of me trusting her and now I'm in a vulnerable position, she's moving the goal posts.

I'm gonna have to gamble that my experience and skills are too valuable to lose. I'd like to think I'm worth keeping but I guess I would think that.

Sorry you been going through sad times @Georgina125

I will admit. I may be sketchy on the fine detail of the law/rules - simply because coming back to work part time is so normal in the NHS, or at least my corner of it, that the need to ascertain rights has never arisen. Practically everyone where I work comes back part time. The questions managers ask (and asked me) are WHEN? and HOW MUCH?

I think your manager is bullying you, verging on harassment. And if they are so short staffed then she should be making a case for increasing the number of staff and offering to keep your maternity cover person on after you return.

Have you spoken to HR?

Also, do you have legal cover on your household insurance?
It's a very inexpensive add on (or at least mine is).
They mostly have a 24/7 helpline.
Totally different situation but mine were brilliant when I needed advice.
On the back of that I advised another poster to contact hers when she was accused of homophobia - for asking questions about safeguarding as she was the safeguarding lead 🙄
It meant she turned up to a meeting with HR with a legal advisor in tow and they quickly backed down and ran away.
So check out your insurance and ask them for advice.
And if you don't have it, add it on now. You may find you can access the helpline straightaway even though you might be excluded from more in depth help for a period of time.

@FannyCann I will check my home insurance now.

I'm very carefully drafting my next email. Basically to ask why I didn't have to work nights before but now suddenly it's back on the table. Surely a bit dodgy that it was agreed before pregnancy and no nights scheduled. But now saying nights are part of my job. Changing the goal posts mid-maternity leave.

Also going to explain that I have to pick my daughter up and I can't find childcare options for past 6pm. Even the hospital nursery shuts at 5.30. No good for a late shift. And husband finishes work at 6pm and won't be home until much later. He can just about do drop off though, hence I can do early shifts.

Taking my time to draft this.

Managers have to justify their decisions to their managers.

E.g If there is more work needed at the end of week, could you ask for Monday's off?

If the potential loss of 7.5 hrs is too worrying for your manager could you work full time hours over 4 or 4,5 days? Or ask for a 90% contract rather than 80%?

Or could you ask for a trial period of the hours you are proposing?

Thinking laterally can sometimes help you come to an agreement.

OK, finally have an agreement which should work for both sides. And reducing to 30 hours rather than 37.5. But now I feel guilty! I'm the higher earner and I'm reducing my salary by 20%. Things will be a lot tighter. I calculated it all and it is do-able but certainly cut backs needed. On the other hand, I've been through so much these last few years and surely I'm allowed to be a little selfish...

@Georgina125 thats fab you have an agreement you feel comfortable with, well done in advocating for yourself and your family. Don’t be afraid to put in another request if it turns out it isn’t quite right, especially given the recent NHS retention plan with a focus on flexibility.

Are you sure you will drop by 20%? I found I just stopped paying so many deductions etc. You only get this time with your baby once, and baby won’t remember if you had lots of money- they just want your presence ❤️ good luck with the return to work and hope little one settles in to the new routine (FWIW, mine loved it and nursery has been amazing for her) x