Any tips on approaching manager regards reducing hours?

[Becca3451]

I started a new job from maternity leave this year doing 30 hours over 4 days. However I want to reduce my hours to 25.5 hours over 3 days. I am new to the job ( March,)and she has already made some adjustments for me, so my husband is concerned about me asking for adjustments again. She is generally approachable and amendable. However in my line of work once a department reduces hours for a member of staff, they are ''lost'. The team do acknowledge I am very experienced for my role and wouldn't be surprised if I moved onto the next level soon. That been said if they made these adjustments, I probably wouldn't want to move, as be hard to get a senior position with these hours.

How have people approached this? Request via email? Request teams/F2F meeting?
How have people worded it? It's generally for emotional purposes e.g. hate being apart from him so long, and is only like £150 to work 30 hours over 4 days, with Nursey fees. Said white lies re not being able to get a space?

When I wanted to reduce my hours I just submitted a flexible working plan and spoke to my line manager. I didnt do it for childcare reasons or anything. I wouldn't risk lying about your reason that could come back and bite you

You don’t have to give a reason. I reduced my hours recently. I don’t have kids. I just wanted to. If you lie and say you can’t get childcare and they refuse you (which they can due to business need) then you are stacking up some potential issues that imply you are doing childcare while working.

Employers have to consider flexible working requests. (They don't have to grant them).

Think about it from your manager's perspective - does your role need fill time cover? Are you public facing- does it matter if you're not there? How will your work get done, or will everything slow up? What's not fair really, is to expect your workload to be redistributed across the rest of your team.

Basically, don’t give your manager problems, give her solutions.

From a manager’s point of view, I’d prefer you to make an appointment to see your manager face 2 face to talk about this, but really think about how it will affect your team first, and how to mitigate this.

Manager here, but also someone who has had a couple of flexible working requests accepted. I would always speak to you manager face to face first about it (teams if you work remotely). I always find as a manager that if i can better understand the request it is easier for me to see how it will work in practice or suggest alterantives if the first proposed reduction won't work from a business perspective.