Changing hours vs longer maternity leave

Plans_all_plans

Hi, is this a silly idea?

I'd like to return to work after my maternity leave (which isn't due to start for a few months yet) but only if I can change my hours so that my husband and I can share childcare between ourselves. Otherwise, I intend to give up work.

Anyway, I was wondering if people felt I would have more success in negotiating my change of work times if I said I would take a much shorter maternity leave of around one month (to save them recruitment/agency costs etc)?

SarEl

Why not start out by seeing what their reaction would be to the new hours you are proposing? I never start by making an offer - I start by determining the lay of the land! It would be better to garner your arguments around why the hours proposed will suit them (because they won't be all that interested in what suits you!), and how you might get around any problems.

Plans_all_plans

Well to be honest, my current hours are probably going to be better for them than those which I plan to propose. However, the new hours I'd like aren't likely to be too inconvenient for them either.

They will save a lot of money by not having to recruit though, so I might go down this line.

What I'd REALLY like is to have a full year off and then return to work with the new hours!

t0rt0ise

Why not just ask them if you can do as you want. My daughter went off for a year and went back part-time. They were fine with this. Many people do this without bargaining. Just ask.

an9i77

To put my tuppenceworth in, they will probably be either able to accomodate your request for less hours or they won't. I don't think it would come down to, well we can't accomodate it but hang on if you're only going to be off a short while then we can. I could be wrong but I don't think most businesses think like that. Its not like your bargaining point (working a shorter maternity leave) will actually impact on how the shorter hours request can be facilitated, as its two completely separate things. But you know your employer better than I do, so if all else fails and you've put in the request and it's got turned down I suppose you'd have nothing to lose at that point by trying this.