Flexible working to be rejected following maternity leave

[Pregthenscrewed]

I’m due back to work in 3 months following a year of maternity leave. I’ve had an informal conversation with my manager who has said that I can return to my role on the same terms but they are likely to reject my request for returning to the same role on a part time basis as the responsibility/seniority of the role means it wouldn’t be doable on 3 days a week.

I am inclined to agree as the role was high pressure/high quantity of work that I even struggled to get done in 5 days a week sometimes.

however, I’m also told the only roles likely to be available on a part time basis will be more junior and so I would have to take a cut on salary and benefits which would reduce my take home pay considerably.. which is causing me a huge amount of worry of how I will make this work financially.

I also don’t know what these roles even are as the business has undergone lots of change to my team in the time I’ve been off and the roles haven’t all been created yet.

I’m meeting my manager this week to discuss further and have a more formal conversation but wanted to know if anyone had been in a similar position and if I have any rights here to challenge the fact that part time working can only be accepted if at a lower seniority level?

My suggestions:
Return to work on the same, full time terms. Use your accrued annual leave to take 1-2 days off every week until your leave runs low.
You'll then get a feel for life back at work with a baby. If it's going well and baby sleeps ok then you would have proved to your bosses that part time is doable. You could then apply for the same hours compressed to 4 days. Or apply for a 4 day week without compressed.

@Bobbybobbins that varies school by school though. I've had a TLR (education name for management top up payment) as head of department in two different schools on hours ranging from 0.5 to 0.8. I did have to advocate for myself as the first school as they tried to pay me the TLR pro rata!

Definitely if you don't ask, you don't get.

But that doesn't prove part time is doable really - the business has to allow you to use accrued leave so they agree a plan and get through it as best they can knowing it's for an interim period. That's not saying that on a permanent basis a full time role can suddenly become a part time one especially if the business has fixed headcount. I've been on both sides of this both as a mother returning to work and as a line manager and it has to work for both parties

This can't be true? 'You can't give me the job I want so I'll go part time, less senior and get paid my previous salary for 2 years"?!

No surprise you're not qualified. This is utter rubbish.

There is no obligation to agree to a change in hours! When you make your application make sure you address how you think it can still meet business needs.

@EarringsandLipstick it's what I know has happened in jobs over the worked im with other people - maybe they were being extra nice

I own my own business, so it's a different circumstance, but i needed to return to work about 3 days after giving birth and i hired a nanny/homehelp so i was still on hand for BF, cuddles and generally being in the vicinity of my baby, but i could totally concentrate on work when i was working, still being able to hear my baby and feeling involved. It worked really well. She did the ironing whilst the baby was asleep as well.

Can work from home and do flexible hours - ie working in the evening when baby is asleep?

I think there are advantages to employers of a job share - they won't always apply, it partly depends on how niche the OP's skill set is but:

Job shares can help retention - the senior woman* who gets this agreed is likely to stay more loyal to the company

It can help pipeline - if you drive away lots of women in particular, where does your next generation of senior leaders come from?

It can help resilience - when one job share partner is on leave, the other still covers half the week, if one leaves, you're not totally in the lurch

• I say woman because it usually is but I have worked for two men in a senior role job sharing

Job share is brilliant all round I think. More companies should facilitate it.