Flexible working request declined help

[Pinkstuffs]

My large employer who are always winning awards for being family friendly have rejected my request to drop my FTE from 100% to 90% (losing 1/2 day per week) on the grounds that they can’t accommodate the workload as the client is paying for 100% FTE. They’ve also rejected me request to compress hours 5 days into 4 or 10 days into 9 as they say they need me every day.

There are 5 people in my immediate team, some more senior and some more junior who I line manage, and we all work on the same project with the workload just split between us.

I have another meeting next week and I’m worried that I can’t negotiate any flexibility at all. I know at least 30 people just in my office of 100 ish who work compressed hours so I feel like my manager is being quite unfair.

In my shoes would you request a member of HR to join the meeting? I haven’t put the formal request in yet as HR basically advice if your line manager won’t approve the initial request then it’s not happening.

Im worried about working full time as I’m already struggling with DS 11 months and fitting in everything else. A few of my days are very long which doesn’t help.

Definitely get HR in.

They are on very thin ice if they allow it to others within the company. Fight this.

You may have some employment law advice covered in your home insurance. If so, call them up and get their advice.

I would put it in formally then you have a record of it being requested, they have to consider it and give you the outcome in writing.
You can also then appeal the decision, giving the reasons you have above.

www.acas.org.uk/statutory-flexible-working-requests

Each case is individual so whilst there are others doing its not a president set

realistic they lose u for a full day every fortnight and get you for an extra 30 minutes a day it not really that productive you get little done in 30 minutes compared with a full day

just appeal but be aware they can say no

I think it's very ill-advised of them to give a blanket refusal when you have offered so many alternatives. I think it would be a good idea to involve HR as your manager probably needs reminding of their obligations to give due consideration.

I think they’re trying to persuade me to finish an hour earlier on Fridays but this is barely any use to me as my baby is normally asleep then!

I feel that’s quite a subjective thought though? Surely they would need to demonstrate that my output has declined in order to deny that after a trial? I do know a lot of people working this pattern.

They are on very thin ice if they allow it to others within the company. Fight this.

The policy at my organisation makes clear that precedent doesn't apply, i.e. it doesn't matter what people are doing already / what accomodations they have. The request is considered at the point that the business is at now (i.e. when the request is made). So if the number of people already working part time / compressed hours means that there isn't capacity for further reductions in hours, then the new request can be declined.

No, the onus is on you to demonstrate how there won’t be negative impact to the business if your contracted hours are varied.

If you have regular formal chats with your line manager I would make it clear that this situation is causing you ongoing stress. I imagine this is true as you're posting about it on MN at the weekend. I'd make it clear also that you're reluctantly looking for a new job that will offer this arrangement.
Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to get signed off if it becomes unsustainable. I have one day off per week, I really need it to manage my work life balance around the family.

I would also consider putting in requests for unpaid parental leave obviously these are at their discretion also but surely they can't say no to everything. Your request seems really reasonable.

Not any more. The law on statutory requests for flexible working changed on 6 April 2024.

All OP's request has to state is date of request, the requested change and when she would like the change to start, as well as if she has made any previous statutory flexible working requests to the employer and the date of those.

The employer must accept a request unless there's a genuine business reason not to. It has to be one of these reasons -

• it will cost the business too much
• the work cannot be distributed among other staff
• they cannot recruit more staff
• there will be a negative effect on quality of work
• there will be a negative effect on the business's ability to meet customer demand
• there will be a negative effect on performance
• there's not enough work to do for the request
• there are planned changes to the business

The fact that others already have it doesn't set precedents.

You could get HR involved, but as we all know, HR are on the side of the business, not yours, so I wouldn’t expect too much.

HR people are the ones I trust the least in a business, quickly followed by the Exec Leadership team.

They can refuse it though on the grounds that they already have too many people doing it and as a result now can't cover the work. Kind of that they've reached saturation point, which is a pain as it's all about timing. Op I would put the formal request in as they then have to go through a formal process, on your form head off the objection by answering it.

@PatriciaHolm

You’re quite right, apologies. I’d forgotten about that change, which certainly does open the field more for flexible working requests.

As others have said op, I would get HR involved, they’ll be able to correctly advise. Whilst people like to trot out “HR is on the side of the business” - that is not always a negative, in this instance they’d advise the business against decisions which go against the new changes to the law.

Are you in a union? They are the ones you need to take, not HR. Also put the request in formally. You said you request has been denied but it hasn't because you haven't officially submitted your request.

@Pinkstuffs i was in this predicament when my second child was 9 months after I went back to work, so basically I told my work that I planned to use my statutory parental leave I had 2 children) so 8 weeks per year legally cannot be refused, then in addition to those 8 weeks my 5 weeks AL so 13 weeks time off per year in total, which equates to 1 weeks per month, equivalent to one day off per week.

she was a child free manager and it’s only when I broke it down to her that either way I was planning on spending time with my children whether through a 4 day week or the above, that I was going to use what you’re was available to me but the 4 day week made it easier for everyone. In the end she laughed and saw my point.

point being put in for parental leave it can’t be refused

Basically they can say no as long as they follow the correct procedure
Definitely put in a formal request
IME if they don’t want you to have it then more than likely you won’t get it

Is this not unpaid (in private sector)?

@Motheranddaughter yes correct unpaid but it’s another way of reducing your working hours if a business is being stubborn at not allowing a sensible flexi working request. I don’t think it affects your contract though so if your contract is 35 hours per week and you choose to use parental leave although it’s unpaid you’re still employed FT vs if you request a 4 day week your hours and employment then changes to reflect the 4 day week 28 hours pw if that makes sense

You can’t take parental leave in blocks of days unless your employer agrees to it so I’m pretty sure that’s a non starter!

Do the other people who have flexible working line manage too?

In my place it’s very unusual for a line manager or senior role have flexible working as they need to be there to support their team.

@Pinkstuffs but you could for example take the block of parental leave as your main break in x2 1 week breaks then use your usual AL as regular days off eg every Friday for 3 weeks in a row, then work one Friday then repeat.

i proposed this to my workplace not because it was my preferred option but more to highlight that if they declined my flexi work request i would find another way to facilitate time with my kids but actually just approving the 4 day week I was asking for would be less disruptive as at least everyone would then know it was a regular non working day vs the parental leave route.

Yes quite a few of them are more senior than me, the head of the whole team of 100+ works 3 days per week!

So when I first came back from mat leave I was using my accrued holiday to do 4 days, however they have now said I can’t use it for a regular day off either.

Oh 😕 it sounds like they just want to make things difficult then, I don’t understand why businesses go out of there way to be difficult to working mums. I’m not in HR so not sure what they can legally do but hopefully someone in HR can advise and be more helpful xx