Can you pick apart my flex working request please?

[MissingMyHeels]

I am hoping to go back to work 5 days per week but reducing my hours from current 8:45am - 6pm to 9am - 5pm. My line manager can't see a real problem with it apart from the fact that twice a week I have meetings that start at 8:45am and I am going to try and arrange childcare so I can start at that time on these days. The below is being submitted to the board for approval with his recommendation, please read and criticise away!!

Dear Bossman,

I intend to return to work on September 8th 2008. I would however like to put in a request for flexible working. Working on the basis of my normal salary, targets and OTE I would like to suggest the following as a typical working week.

Monday to Friday 9am ? 5pm as a starting point.

I feel that the above hours would work for my clients, Company name ltd and me. To cover the time I am missing I propose to have my calls diverted (providing this is possible from a tech perspective) to my mobile phone and I should therefore be able to deal with the bulk of queries that come in during that time whilst on my journey home as I travel mainly over ground (45 min train journey) and I also feel it would be valuable for us to try and find a way I can access my emails on the way home too ? therefore I could save any non-urgent emails to be dealt with at the end of the day and before work.

As I have explained over the phone I do have a degree of flexibility with my childcare arrangements and should be able to arrange an 8:45 start once or twice a week so I can attend a blah and a blah morning meeting. I will also have the ability to finish later on some days if necessary to the business and with notice can certainly arrange to attend any meetings/interviews that need to take place later.

If I felt that anything was not getting done ? admin tasks etc ? I think lots of these could be caught up with at home of an evening should it be deemed necessary and on occasion where I was this busy would be more than happy to do that. I feel that a trial period of three months would be a good way to see how this works in terms of me hitting KPI?s and targets on reduced hours.

I hope that you and the board feel the above would be a mutually beneficial arrangement and I am really happy to sit down and discuss it if there are any suggestions or improvements you feel could be made to the above.

MissingMyHeels

I think you need to make it all sound a bit more positive and assertive. ATM it sounds a bit soft and apologetic iyswim

Maybe a bit more:

Dear Bossman,

As discussed previously, I intend to resume work on September 8th 2008, but would like to propose a variation to my current contracted hours to Monday to Friday 9am ? 5pm.

In order to continue to provide excellent service to the company and my clients, I would like to be able to extend my working time outside the office by forwarding my office phone to my mobile phone and exploring remote email access.

I will of course, continue to attend a blah and a blah morning meeting, and have the flexibility to adjust my hours, should there be a business need to do so.

I would like to propose a trial period of three months so that the effect of this variation to my hours can be assessed.

I hope that you and the board feel the above would be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

MissingMyHeels

There might be too many proposals in there, but you know what I mean - more like a tender for business

I think effectively committing yourself on paper to unpaid overtime (re the admin stuff) might come back to bite you. Presumably your pay will be reduced accordingly - there is no reason on earth why you should then be volunteering to do the original amount of work in your own time and unpaid. I should just strike that line out; apart from anything else you might be putting objections in their heads where there previously were none. Just stick with the trial period suggestion.

You're absoltely right - I do feel a bit like I'm being naughty by cutting my hours! Hence apologetic/please say yes tone.

More confidence and assertiveness is spot on, thank you.

if you want to work 9-5 then that it what you should propose - not all this woolly stuff about how you'll manage to do extra work outwith office hours.

How long have you taken off maternity so far? I'm not sure what type of business you're in but it seems pretty sales driven so maybe express what you propose, briefly sell it to them like how you plan to deal with it and then suggest a meeting to discuss any issues they might have, rather than trying to answer all problems/issues they may present to you within your letter. If this makes sense?

Ditto what hassled said - are they cutting your salary?

They shouldnt if you are committing to completing the same workload and making yourself available out of your contracted working hours.

I am not going to have my salay pro rata'd so it will be paid iyswim?

I work in recruitment and short hours are just "not done" but I can't afford to cut my basic - will just move jobs.

ooh I have always fancied recruitment, I'm only 20 though and only have experience in accounts so my lack of sales experience has always put me off.

Good advice here. Definitely too woolly and apologetic as it is. Don't talk in terms of not being able to do the job within your proposed hours, and having to work at home to 'catch up' - you are effectively saying that you may not be able to do the job properly on reduced hours. Try to be more detached from it, and business like. Also, don't mention childcare arrangements; your employer is not interested in this, but simply in whether you are proposing something that will be workable and won't have any negative impact.