Since returning to work after COVID, I have been working from the office 2 days per week and wfh 3 days per week. My office days I've worked 9am - 4.45pm, with an agreement that I can take my lunch hour from 9-10am to enable me to get into the office after dropping off my kids at school. (It takes just under an hour to travel). My father has been collecting the kids from school on the two office days but unfortunately his health has now deteriorated to a state where this is no longer possible. I've therefore made a request to amend my working hours in the office.
I've requested to spread the office hours over 3 days instead of 2, thus enabling me to collect the kids from school and continue to wfh afterwards. I would work the same number of hours in the office and the same hours overall, so I didn't think it would be a big issue. Seems I was wrong! My manager is insisting that I come in for at least one full day per week. I can make this work at the moment with after school club but come September my eldest will be going to secondary school so after school club is not an option. I feel at 11 that he will be too young to be left on his own for 2 hours. I've explained that I really don't want to do this as it just means we have to have this conversation again in 6 months time but that doesn't appear to be making any difference.
I don't see the issue in me wanting to go home at 2pm instead of 4pm. There is nothing in my job that can only happen between the hours of 2-4pm in the office. Her excuse has been in case I need to ship anything from the office to an event, but of course there is ample time for me to do that between 9am-2pm, and actually me being in the office 3 times per week instead of 2 should be a benefit, as now there are 3 opportunities that I can ship out instead of 2. I should also point out that I probably ship something once a month at maximum, it's not a big part of my job.
I'd love to hear some advice as to my next steps. My manager doesn't have children and I think that's a big part of the problem. (Neither does the HR manager). My boss has made comments to me in the past that indicate that she thinks people with children are getting preferential treatment and she doesn't like it. When discussing my current problem with her, she just said 'well other people with families cope', as if that helps me in any way. For context, I am a single parent and my dad is the only family I have who could help with child care. So now I am stuck to just what is available through breakfast and after school clubs. The village where I live does not have child minders who would take children after school.