Has anyone appealed to their boss for Flexible working rights? I want to be able to work from home.

[VinegarTits]

When i started working for my company 3 years ago they let me work one day a week from home. They have now been bought out by a bigger company who doesnt like me doing this and iv'e been told i cant. I have read up on my righs and because ds is under six i can apply for flexible working rights

Would someone be kind enough to read through my request to my boss before i send it to him and tell me what you think of it?

Ta.

I couldn't work from home and look after ds anyway, that would be impossible, i would just sit and play with him all day and do no work!

I suppose their might be some employees who, if working the same day from home each week, might be tempted to save money on childcare and try to do their work at home whilst looking after a child.

And that would be unacceptable from an employer's POV.

Well exactly vinegar

monkey there's nothing wrong in asking whether you can do both at the same time. But most employers wouldn't pay someone on the basis that they are available for work and are caring for a child simultaneously. Think about other people doing the same job in an office, or from home without having a child there, it couldn't possibly be fair or reasonable.

On the other hand if you had a job that was very output-based, and didn't require you to be working at specific times, or available for contact or whatever, it could work if you were able to meet your output demands in the ways you suggest.

And as I say, there's nothing to say you couldn't put in a request to do it, but I do think it's important that when putting in flexible working requests, people are realistic about how they will be able to perform their job just as well as someone sitting in the office or whatever doing the exact same job. Because if you can't, then it's not reasonable to expect the employer to go for it. If you can, and can demonstrate that you can, then by all means whatever works for you and your employer.

bubble I had that exact request at a place i worked once. Unfortunately at the time I was fairly junior and had no say, and the person's manager was daft enough to agree it. It was a disaster, obviously and created resentment among the team as well as reducing the person's productivity.

That's true, fbb. Anything that involved a lot of telephone contact would be a no-no with a small child around, IMO.

Small children seem to know that a telephone competes in the attention stakes!

have added these bits:

Communication with my line manager would not be affected as we are already based at different offices and I would be contactable by my company mobile phone and would be able to check in with him throughout the day.

I have worked from home in the past, one day a week, with the permission of my previous boss, and it worked very successfully for over 3 years, I was more productive on those days and was able to work longer hours because I didn?t have to travel.

I quite agree - I couldn't possibly do my job with kids in tow. So if I did put in such a request it would be on an 'output per working hours' basis. So for example I would give up one day in the office in favour of one at home with my child but then suggest I also worked one evening plus a long weekend morning also. Ensuring DH had the kids then and I locked my study door!

But my job is pretty output based anyway so I think I would be able to do it. Even so, i'd imagine lots of jobs have an 'admin' component that could be done in such a way also, after all if someone is asking to work at home, by default it has to be the kind of work that can in fact be done at home... I guess some people are still 'available' in relatime while at home though.

fbb. I can imagine! If you're looking after a small child at home, you're not working for the business.

With the exception, as you've said, of an employee who can get X,Y and Z done in the evening, or while the child is asleep. ie. Output based.

I've often wondered how other employees, who aren't working from home, deal with the extra phonecalls which are the result of the one colleague working from home. Do businesses re-direct phone lines for the work-at-home day?

Because i am computer analyst, i can do my job from anywhere as long as i have my laptop. Have even worked from the car dealership where my car was getting serviced because they had wifi and a comfy sofa for while you wait

But the company who tookover is stopping me doing it and expecting me to travel more to their head office which is a 3 hour commute, i have been there 3 days this week and 2 days at my office.

I think i have my letter sorted now, thanks for your help ladies, could not have done it with out you

Glad you've got it sorted, VT.

Unless there is something they want you to do at the main office that you couldn't do at home - I don't see how they can ask you to stop doing something you've been doing without problem for the last few years.