special leave instead of WFH

[ThatVividCat]

my job is currently hybrid (3 days wfh 2 days office). this isn’t contracted as such it was just agreed certain members of staff could wfh as there wasn’t enough office space to accommodate us all, so we worked it out between us who could go in which days.

my 9 year old son is off school with sore throat this week. I wfh on monday & tuesday so this was fine. he was still too unwell to go to school this morning so I messaged work to say i’d need to wfh today too but ive been told I need to take special leave instead.
this has really annoyed me as managers work from home constantly to the point we never see them anymore unless on a screen.
and also through covid when having to isolate they were quite happy for me to wfh.

does anyone know if i can be forced to take special leave or if i should be able to work from home?

just to note my son is well enough to watch tv & doesn’t really need me for a few hours. I only work 9-1.

i should add that my firm are looking at staffing levels due to overspend which is why I’d rather wfh than take any type of special/sick leave.

I can see why they've told you to take special leave, if your child's sick you won't be able to fully focus on work and they've probably made other parents do the same.

What is special leave? I'm guessing you might be in Scotland, it's not a term I've come across before so not sure if it's reasonable but if your employer says you can't wfh that's their prerogative

Have you read their policy on working while looking after a child? Many employers do not allow it for children under a certain age, often 11.

Lots of employers have had to tighten this policy/ enforce it more since Covid because so many people have been routinely looking after kids while working.

If your employer doesn't want you to wfh, then that's up to them.
I'd be wary of pushing, or they might equally get more rigid on the days they expect you to come in.

I don’t think it’s unfair if today is your normal office day, as much as your 9 yr old
might be happy watching tv they don’t know that and I can see how a blanket no wfh whilst doing childcare policy is fairer.

It's because you are looking after a child. Most work places don't allow you to perform childcare while 'wfh'.
This is exactly the situation why parental leave was created and your workplace have to provide.

Thanks, I've never taken that but I thought you had to request it advance not for ad hoc emergencies

Special leave is not the same as parental leave (you're correct that parental leave has to be requested in advance).

Special leave is usually used as a catch all term to cover types of leave that aren't covered by the more common categories. It's sometimes a legal requirement and sometimes discretionary; sometimes paid and sometimes unpaid.