WWYD - Negotiating working hours

[mumsareglam]

Feeling really stressed and under pressure.

I'm due to start a new job where the official working hours are 9 - 5:30, but I really would like to work from 8 - 4:30. I'm a bit annoyed with myself thinking I should have tried to negotiate before signing the contract.

Not sure what to do now, I need the change as that is the only way I can get back in time to pick up my DS2 from nursery which shuts at 5:45. I have made arrangements with the CM who picks up DS1 to pick from the nursery for the first week, but long term it is not viable because of the costs.
CM does the morning/nursery school run already.

Help please!

Thanks cat64, I work in IT/data analysis. Clients if any are internal - finance, marketing. I will manage most of my own work load and I expect to be pretty independent. I imagine there will also be busy periods, month end reporting etc.

I was planning to adopt a wait and see attitude but I'm stressing not knowing how to plan.

First - congratulations on the new job.

Do you know if anyone else in the company/your department works the sort of hours you want/need?

I'm going to be completely honest here and say I am surprised that you have got this far in the process without realising this scheduling conflict. Perhaps harsh, but if I was your new boss, would wonder about your ability to manage your own workload if you hadn't projected well enough to manage your own schedule.

But maybe the company will be fine about it, and it won't matter if they are a fairly flexible/family friendly business. You can only ask.

Good luck, and i hope things can be arranged to suit all concerned.

Not sure how a 'wait and see' approach could help you anyway tbh. Either they will allow you to work the hours you want or they won't. If it's a dealbreaker for you, in other words you won't take the job without the change, then you need to ask as soon as possible, otherwise you are mucking them about.

If it doesn't really matter, but would help you, then as you've signed a contract to work the normal working hours, I'd suggest starting the job on that basis, being reliable and really good at your job, seeing if it's the kind of place where they are flexible about hours, taking a view as to whether your boss might be open to it, then ask.

Hi glam, I understand this. I just started a new job and wanted to shift my working hours forward, similar to what you were suggesting.

I sounded them out before accepting and was told in principle yes, once I could work independently (initial training period). I have done what flowery suggested, kept my eyes open about flex working, very reliable about hours (even though I often left at 5:30 on the dot) and always came in early. Tried to pull my weight and be seen to be pulling weight.

Even though the hours were supposed to be fixed, I found I had to build in flex into my routine, to leave late if necessary. That meant cooking meals over weekends (so only re-heating dinner when I got home). Priming and training the aupair to deal with dinner and bedtime, if necessary. Dh had to be roped in occasionally.

Do you have a partner who can help in the evenings? If so, maybe some times he can go in early and you stay late or others he goes in early you stay late. CM to pick up on certain days (so at least on those days you know you and dh can stay).

I know other couples who do this.

I think either you ask now (and risk a 'no') or keep your ear to the ground and nose to the grindstone for 6 months to a year (assuming you can work around the hours for a bit). Depends on your circumstances.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Earlybird - It's okay you can be as harsh as you like. Would rather have an honest opinion. Unfortunately I do not know anyone else in the company just yet.

Like blueshoes I did ask the question (via the agency) and was told it's a case of proving yourself. I understand this as this is how it has been in my previous roles but I wish I had discussion with the boss or HR.
I have been very fortunate that my last couple of roles have been very close to home and I have had very understanding bosses.

In my initital calculations I had factored in the school holidays when I did not need to be so flexible as the time to bed in and 'prove myself'. I am quite happy to get in early and work through lunches if necessary and I do not mind working extra hours it is just needing to clock off at a set time I am worried about.

Unfortunately DH works away during the week and is only back on Fridays so cannot help.

It is a 12month fixed term contract (maternity cover) so I guess I can count down the months. But I'd rather go in feeling very positive.

I guess the lesson for future roles is to ask before you start. Better not to take the job than be in this position.

Glam, for a role that is maternity cover, how will you have time to prove yourself before you request the change in hours? It takes at least 6 months to feel comfortable in a new role. I think the agency might have been more interested in securing their commission than your interests.

They should put forward your request. I applied direct to the company, so did not have to deal with agencies, although I dealt with HR as a middleperson of sorts.

You might find the department is very family friendly, so amenable to a change. Hope it works out for you.

It is an employers' market at the moment so if you had to suck it up for a year it would not be unusual.