Advice desperately needed please re flexible working request

[flexiworkingrequest]

Name changed as very specific situation.

I am hoping to return 0.6 after maternity leave. My employer have been very flexible saying this shouldn’t be a problem and I can choose my working days. The caveat is, if I don’t do 3 consecutive days, I may be moved teams because the service I work for only runs midweek Tues-Thurs- so I’d need to work at least two of those days in their eyes. My job description is generic and they do sometimes move people about.

I really enjoy my role and want to return to that specific role. Usually I do Monday and Friday as admin days in the office or home, and Tues-Thurs running the service. I like my team and have a lovely manager, and I can manage my own workload and have some flexibility which isn’t always the case in other teams.

Due to childcare availability and my husband’s work pattern, it would suit us best by far if I could have Wednesday and Thursday off - but this risks moving teams and duties. DH says I should contest it if so because I’m best placed in the role I am in and have done that very role for the duration of my employment…

I see his point but realistically I don’t think I’d have a leg to stand on because 1) they don’t have to grant flexible working in the first place and 2) it would be the same pay, just arguably a longer travel time and lesser homeworking if I moved teams - but then again maybe that constitutes less favourable conditions?

Please can anyone advise? I don’t know how to approach the matter or what to do first. I only know the above from a conversation with my manager so maybe I should request again in writing and see what the written response is to my request?

So they’ve told you what they need for it to work for them but that doesn’t work for you.

You will need to move.

I assume the “business need” is running the service so they are prioritising that.

I think you need to request (or have an informal conversation first) what you actually want as a working pattern and see what happens. How will the two days you are not working be covered? Will it actually work to have 2 admin wfh days and only one working in the service day (not knowing what you do, is there enough actual admin for 2 days if you're only doing non admin on 1 day?)

If your role is interchangeable with other roles in other teams, then moving to another team would seem like a reasonable approach.

It sounds like they may have valid business reasons for not allowing wed&thu as non working days in your current service if those are 2/3 of the days the service you manage is delivered.

They can reject your request on (I think it’s 7?) specific business grounds - you can google them. Your husband’s reasons (eg you’ve done the role since you started there) do not fall into those business reasons. If you do ‘contest’ your employers decision, you’ll need to explain to your employer why your proposed work days won’t have a detrimental impact on the business, your colleagues and service users - ie why the 7 reasons for rejecting a request don’t apply in your case.

They've been pretty reasonable to be fair, maybe your dh will have to try to make some changes to his schedule?