flexible working hours

DaisyFlower

There is an appeals process he can follow on the government website. If they can show good business reasons why the request cannot be accomodated then they can decline it.

I dont think gender is the problem, anybody asking for an entire rota change where other employees have to swap hours would probably meet some resistance. The other employees may not have said anything directly to him but may have said something in private to the management.

Maybe he should have had a chat informally first before re-organising the rota to see what could practically be accomodated.

greytdog_2

the company only has to consider requests, as said before if their is a business need that means they cannot allow the changes then thats the end of the story. Yes there are special rules regarding women with children under 6 of which i dont know fully as my kids are older. I suppose he could try to argue that if there is a woman on the team that has been given flexible working then they are being sexist, however if the rest of the team work normal shifts then i doubt he has anywhere to take this.

scotty1971

the rotas he has done has been dummy rotas to show how it would work,as far as i know the team has no ojections to him having set days off,maybe he should chat to them again,and ask them to put it in writing so he can take it to the meeting

SomeBozo

By law a employer must consider any request for flexible working from certain qualifying members of staff (those with children usually). But thats where it ends, the employer can turn this down for clear operational reasons.

The employee can then appeal this via the grievance procedure.

Bozo

scotty1971

cheers,i've passed on the useful advice to him

louisehj

greytdog wrote: »

the company only has to consider requests, as said before if their is a business need that means they cannot allow the changes then thats the end of the story. Yes there are special rules regarding women with children under 6 of which i dont know fully as my kids are older. I suppose he could try to argue that if there is a woman on the team that has been given flexible working then they are being sexist, however if the rest of the team work normal shifts then i doubt he has anywhere to take this.

The right to request flexible working applies to parents (men and women) of children under the age of 6 or disabled children under the age of 18. Would just like to add to OP I dont think it matters if you are a man or a woman as to wether your request is accepted. It depends on the job you do and how the business would cope with the change. I am a woman who requested flexible hours in march 2006 and on leaving for maternity leave in may 2008, this still had not been resolved!!

surreysaver

greytdog wrote: »

Yes there are special rules regarding women with children under 6 of which i dont know fully as my kids are older.

What special rules? There a special rules for women with a child under 1 (Maternity Leave - which men are not entitled to, even if the woman goes back to work), but there are no special rules for only women for children under 6.

SandC

I think you will find the right to request flexible working hours applies to ALL employees not just those with children and there are certainly no special arrangements for people with kids under 6. How discriminatory is that?

Having said the above you have the right to request it, the employer has to give it consideration but they do not have to grant it. Although they should have genuine reasons for not allowing it such as the job not being able to be performed properly.

feelinggood_2

SandC wrote: »

I think you will find the right to request flexible working hours applies to ALL employees not just those with children and there are certainly no special arrangements for people with kids under 6. How discriminatory is that?

My understand was:

"If you are an employee (but not an agency worker or in the armed forces) and you have worked for your employer for 26 weeks continuously before applying, you have the statutory right to ask if you:

• have a child under six or a disabled child under 18 who receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• are responsible for the child as a parent/guardian/special guardian/foster parent/private foster carer or as the holder of a residence order
• are the spouse, partner or civil partner of one of these and are applying to care for the child
• are a carer who cares, or expects to be caring, for an adult who is a spouse, partner, civil partner or relative; or who although not related to you, lives at the same address as you

From 6 April 2009 the right to request flexible working is being extended to parents of children aged 16 or under."

See:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10029491

surreysaver

SandC wrote: »

I think you will find the right to request flexible working hours applies to ALL employees not just those with children and there are certainly no special arrangements for people with kids under 6. How discriminatory is that?

Oh no it doesn't. It only applies to those with children under 6, or with disabled children under 18. And the Government loves to discriminate - that's why women have to take a year off after having a baby and a man has to go back to work, even if the woman earns more money than the man.