flowery/ribena - flexible working app -help!

[vasillisa]

Negotiating tips or ideas welcome...feel like i'm fighting fluff and nonsesnse on this one...

Am halfway through my maternity leave, put in flexible working app last summer and had a meeting within the 28 days - the job share I had suggested as a possible route was declined - senior manager said it would interfere with consistency (and I spent lot of time in the proposal outlining the ways it could work for all concerned - systems etc.)

Am front line clerical/admin staff with big organisation and the only full timer at my level (but 2 levels of manager within the office who other staff on my grade refer to if any queries)

The request itself is still pending a final decision - they said they would let me know this June and they havent - and largely depends - according to manager - if any team members leave or vacancy arises. small team of long term members so Doubtful!

Any advice on this whole issue of 'consistency' when moving from full to p-time? is this a valid business reason (I am guessing they will say it could affect customer experience if i dont provide consistency)

Have worked there for a decade + and would not want to go back f-time as dc1 will only be one and have waited long time for this little one to arrive!

Am miffed at way have been treated though, feels like drawing teeth...and i get the impression they want to decline it ...maybe they think i will have more kids, more time off etc. obviously i cant prove they think that but still....

apologies for lengthy post - frustrated by whole thing hanging like sword of damocles and cant find anyone else in organisation who has negotiated flexi working to compare notes with.

Thanks

Valid reasons for turning down your request can be as follows:

• Burden of additional costs
• Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand
• Inability to reorganise work among existing staff

• Inability to recruit additional staff

- Detrimental impact on quality

• Detrimental impact on performance

-Insufficiency of work during the periods you propose to work - Planned structural changes

If they are a big company I think most of these reasons wouldn't really stand up.

This is a really useful website that is worth going through
flexible working

I imagine they'd use 'detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand'.

Do you mean you put in your request a year ago and a decision has still not been made, or are you putting in a new request as you can do one every 12 months?

If you are the only full timer at your level does that mean everyone else at your level has some kind of part time arrangement?

I can't see really how for clerical staff a job share wouldn't work tbh. You could have some overlap to ensure you communicate with your 'other half' to make sure there is consistency, for example. I'm sure you thought of all these things when you put in your original request.

Why does it depend on others leaving? You are asking to reduce your hours, not increase them.

I don't quite understand the timeline either. Is it that you put in your request whilst pregnant and they agreed to meet with you, but said they'd give a decision closer to your return? If so, that's probably sensible. A lot can change in that time.

Job shares are often quite workable for clerical staff in large organisations. However, it can depend on things like what days you want (Tuesday to Thursday is the worst request. What jobshare partner wants to work the Monday and Friday) and whether the company internal systems are robust enough to ensure that all information is captured.

Could you explain more about the question of vacancies/someone leaving? Is that related to them not being able to justify the spend for overlap on a job share otherwise or something?

waves to flowery...

Hi!

Reply to Flowery's points:

yes - probably they will say less consistency will affect quality for customer

yes - put in request almost a year ago and a decision has still not been made, decision deferred for 6 months to see what changes in staffing, business needs were...

everyone else at my level has part time, or works full time but term time only, so am only one full time and all year.

clerical staff job share - i put tons of stuff in app as too how we could ensure consistency and communication.

Why does it depend on others leaving? - because if some p time hours become free i would be offered these automatically they said.

Ribena - yes I put in your request whilst pregnant Aug 2009, met with them Sept 09. Jobshare idea turned down flat due to consistency argument (no clear explanation of what they mean or written answer with valid business reason), said they would defer decision until June this year to see what and they agreed to meet with you, but said what happened in the mean time.

Said I would be happy to be flexible re days worked and drafted application with help of my supervisor so she could help me see what the business would regard as helpful - ie normal working hours and not random short hours on various days. only stipulation i made was prefer not to work outside my normal 9 to 5 mon to fri hours ie not weekends or evening slots.

internal systems are very robust - to reflect fact that most other workers are p time. in fact i have been instrumental in setting up procedures files, message books etc!

the reference to someone leaving was purely so i could give up my full time post and be offered someone elses p time hours.

Thanks for all your comments btw. Have been keeping tabs on other threads of similar topics to try and get overview.

Want to try to make it not confrontational and have tried my best but sense managers are reluctant...

OK just spoken to manager this week re: request. Answer was supposed to be forthcoming in June....

Manager says that according to HR the employer is not obliged to give an answer until 8 weeks prior to return to work.

Employer does not want to split my hours into jobshare, but awaitng departmental budget to see if any money for a new p time post...

I made the point that I need an answer one way or the other asap due to arranging childcare and to consider what to do in response to the answer. We agreed new deadline for decision at end of July.

I kept the conversation polite but am feeling frustrated. My impression is that these are just dealying tactics in case i challenge the decision by appeal. Have already waited 6 months since my application.

I asked what other options there were - e.g did any other team members want to swop their p time hours for my full time ones, but manager has not asked them, just says she 'knows' they dont want to !

What next? Am feeling I ought to draft an email to HR and cc my manager to get things in writing, as so far we have just had meetings so nothing documented apart from notes I have taken at the time.