Asking this feels like cheating on an exam.

[Libra1975]

But if you are a HR person or a manager what sort of thing would you expect to see in answer to these questions:

1. Impact of the new working pattern
   I think this change in my working pattern will affect my employer and colleagues as follows

2. Accommodating the new working pattern
   I think the effect on my employer and colleagues can be dealt with as follows:

Thanks.

Is this with regard to requesting flexible working?

I think you need to be realistic but err on the side of optimism on 1. Don't go looking for problems, just make sure you cover the main points that your manager is likely to think of.

But they key is to make sure that every single point you raise in 1 is 'solved' in 2.

EG

1. X responsibility will need to be dealt with on Fridays as I won't be there.

1. This is a great opportunity for my colleague to take over X as she has been looking for more responsibility.

What I would expect to see would depend on the circumstances of the application.

However, in a more general sense, I would like to see a flexible working application outline the advantages for the business. So not only identifying potential areas that will need adjustment and providing positive solutions to those, but also explaining why and how the business (not you) will benefit from agreeing to this request.

Effect on colleagues should not be increased workload. Make sure you account realistically for any reduction in your hours and provide positive solutions for either removing unnecessary tasks entirely, or completing them in different ways in order to reduce your hours with minimum or no negative effect on anyone else.

Working Families website has a good online guide to flexible working and a good factsheet that helps address all these issues.

Thanks both of you.
The bit I am struggling with is the advantages for the business, me working part-time is not going to be detrimental because my job never occupied more than 3 man days a week anyway but how do I tell the business that!! How does any normal 9-5 (not shift work) business really benefit from someone going part-time unless the position really,truly calls for a part-time position (which again mine does but I wasn't hired with that impression!)

Have you looked at the link Libra? The working families online guide to flexible working has a whole section about building your case which should help.

Yes thanks

Working with a job share partner will bring two different sets of ideas and two people's energy to the role

I will be more productive if I am able to work from home, as I will be able to work uninterrupted and cut down on travelling time

The hours I have suggested will allow me to work more hours during busy periods and not waste time in the office at less busy times

I feel the reduced working week will enable me to be fully focused on work when I am there

By allowing flexible working, the company/organisation will retain experienced members of staff who might otherwise have to leave. This saves on recruitment and training costs.

The organisation will benefit from an improved image if it is seen to promote a healthy work/life balance. This could improve morale amongst existing staff and encourage high calibre applicants to apply to it in future.

Changed working hours would enable the service the organisation offers to be available earlier in the morning/later in the evening/during the lunch hour

I still feel these are more excuses rather than reasons but that is probably the guilt I feel about not wanting to go back to work fulltime (which goes with the guilt of leaving my PFB at a nursery at all).

You are proposing a job share? Didn't you say you only spend 3 days of your 5 days working anyway?

Just a word of warning about the working from home thing, if you are planning to request that, make sure you are not hoping to be able to work from home at the same time as taking care of a child, you must have childcare in place for the times you are working wherever you are.

Also bear in mind that a request to work from home will involve some logistical issues for your employer, health and safety, office equipment provision, that kind of thing, so I'd only ask for that if you really need it and are confident that could all be put in place with minimum effort.

No sorry, I was just showing you I had read the building the business case section of the website (which is being very helpful).

I am requesting working in the office 3 days a week, I currently (well before ML) work 5 days in the office but my workload is honestly only 3.
I totally agree that you can not work from home and take care of a child at the same time!

Thank you for all your help.

I would say that you are able to restructure your workload more efficiently so that you can get the same amount of work done in 3 days. This will result in increased efficiency for the company.