Anyone an NHS Admin manager or union rep? Need advice!

[meganp3]

I'm a Band 3 NHS admin worker and have been in the role for around 3 years. No issues... Until recently.
When starting the role nearly 3 years ago, I mentioned to my manager than it would be a close shave for me to get to work and be all logged on by 9am on the dot. Working ours at 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
This was because I take my child to school and the school don't allow me to drop off before 9.50am. The gates to school are officially meant to open at 8.45am, but it's closer to 8.50am when they actually open. So, obvioulsly I can't leave my young child waiting alone at the gates, nor would I leave my child with other parents. The reasons for this are too complex to go into. No wrap around care and grandparents are too elderly and frail to help in the mornings (I wouldn't expect them too anyway). I'm a single mum btw.
So, for almost 3 years, I have been arriving at work at between 8.57 and 8.59 on average. I was verbally agreed by my manager when I first explained my predicament after accepting the job. I offered to knock a few mins of my lunch break to compensate for any lateness but manager said no that's fine. Just get here asap in the mornings and all would be fine.
A couple of weeks ago, the manager sent an email to the whole admin team, reminding us about timekeeping, saying we need to be logged on an ready for work vat 9am, not "walking in the door" at that time...
I physically can't get there any faster than I already do and this has never been mentioned as an issue before that email was sent. Obviously, I know she was addressing it to all of us, but were will I stand from a HR point of view if she suddenly decides to take exception with me arriving at 8.57 or 8.59am when it's never been an issue before? Would I have a leg to stand on? The site where I work is very close to my child's school, so I pretty much run there anyway after dropping my child at school. Can't get there any faster (no car).
When my manager agreed it's ok for me to do this, I didn't get any email or letter, it was agreed by her verbally.
The issue of timekeeping is on the agenda for the team meeting tomorrow, so feeling pretty anxious. Should I contact the union or HR? Or ask to speak with manager privately after the meeting?

It depends what you do when you get there surely. If you walk through the door at 8:57 sit straight down and log in you'll be working at 9, if you come in, have a chat, go to the loo, make a tea then sit down and log on it might be closer to 9:15/9:20.
I would email her and say as previously discussed due to childcare drop off I am often here only a couple of minutes before 9 but I am logged on and starting work at 9am. If it's not possible for you to be logged on and working by 9 say instead, I am here and logged on by 9:05 sometimes earlier, I did offer previously to have a slightly shorter lunch break to accommodate starting at 9:05 and am still happy to do that.

Honestly I also work in the public sector and if my boss started this he'd have a riot on his hands because none of us ever get out bang on 5 and have often stayed much much later to deal with emergencies.

You need to speak to your manager and you need to get any variation in writing. As things stand "turning a blind eye" to lateness is not permission to be late, and clearly something has happened that has resulted in a clear mandate to work to contract. If you cannot get an agreeement then you go to the union and speak to them.

You need to either:

• get the agreement to be late in writing
• use the school breakfast club
• find someone you can pay to wait with your child (in a similar scenario, I used to pay another mother £20 a week to be at school at 8:40 so that I could whizz away punctually)

You have said 2 & 3 are not possible, so that only leaves 1.

Speak to your manager about flexitime, do you ever arrive after 9.

Can you just apply for flexible working and change your hours, with full written agreement, to something that works for you and the department?
People in the NHS do this all the time

How old is your child? I ask because then we can see how long this will go on for.

I have to say though, I would want to know why your child couldn't be left with other parents for a very few minutes in the morning.

I agree fill out a flexible working request.

I work in a similar role and needed to leave 5 minutes early get a bus. To make it worthwhile, I asked for +/- 30 minutes of my working day.... realistically I don't need it, but I'm covered for all eventualities.

Breakfast club

I think this is really petty of your manager (and I line manage people myself). I'd be tempted be equally petty and put in a flexible working request to allow you to arrive at work at 8.58am and log on by 9.02am.

NHS do flexible working policy's have you looked in to that?
You could request to start say 15 mins later but do a shorter lunch.

Chuck in a flexible working request - you can request to start 10 minutes later.
I don't allow my staff to shave off any time from their lunch break as it's a legal requirement to have a break after so many hours so the flexi working covers their requirements and gives you peace of mind.
Your manager will be hard pressed to decline it given it will have basically 0 impact of being a 10 minutes later start!

Agree with PP, if arriving at 8.57 logging on and getting straight to work this is cutting it fine but not an issue. However arriving at that time, making a cuppa, eating breakfast, having a chat with colleagues and regularly starting at 9.20 this is a problem.

There is a good chance the manager is doing this because of someone else's behaviour, and that because you are conscientious you are worried it's about you.

I would email the manager, reminding them of your difficulty, re-iterating the offer to take the time off your lunch break and asking whether you should complete a flexible working request.

Manager will probably reply with, no no, I didn't mean YOU.

Just submit a flexible working request and also chase the school to be opening at the advertised time. Does no one else you know at work use the same school? If so you could split it so two days one week you start late and then three days, then the reverse the following week.

Maybe other staff have been arriving late and their response is that you are frequently late, one rule for one sort of attitude.

Flexitime or make a flexible working request to start a few mins late and work a shorter lunch break if the current flexible arrangement isn't ok going forward

Do you have to be logged into the phones at 9.00am to take calls from patients by any chance? Just wondering if your colleagues are getting fed up waiting for you to log in /covering for you?

I'm nhs admin btw and it takes me a good 5 or more minutes to get settled at my desk and logged in to all the systems.