Flexible working hours question - please help!

roz84

Hi, if anyone can help with this i'd be grateful;

I've recently asked for a reduction in my working hours. I'd like to spend more time with my 2 year old daughter, my job's quite stressful (behaviour support in a secondary school) and at the end of the month my wages nearly all go to childcare.

I work over 5 days at the monment, but have asked for 10 hours reduction, hoping that would mean I work 3 days. My employer has agreed, however the hours I have been offered are off on monday, 3 hours tues, all day weds and thurs, and 2 hours on a friday. This was fine, albeit slightly inconvenient for me, however my childminder has now said that she has a minumum of 5 hours per day in the contract (which I hadn't noticed) which puts me in a difficult position as I really like the childcare and another of that standard would be difficult to find. I have asked my boss if the hours could be lumped together to make 3 days but she's not sure - personally i think she's being awkward as she's a bit like that!

Do i have grounds to make the request under flexible working hours, citing childcare problems?

clairec79

I think once a request has been made (which is has when you reduced the hours) you can't make another for a set period of time (either 6 or 12 months)

Hmm71

https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working/overview

There's some guidance in the above link about your rights regarding flexible working. You have the right to ask but your employer isn't obliged to grant your request.

You could try appealing to her better nature, if she has one but your childcare issues aren't really your employer's problem.

Hmm71

clairec79 wrote: »

I think once a request has been made (which is has when you reduced the hours) you can't make another for a set period of time (either 6 or 12 months)

But would they count as two separate requests in this instance? One for reduced hours and one for flexible working?

mel48rose

Hi, sounds to me like childminder's being awkward. My two boys went to a childminder for two hours in the morning. I would suggest looking elsewhere. Good luck x

Takeaway_Addict

Hmm71 wrote: »

But would they count as two separate requests in this instance? One for reduced hours and one for flexible working?

I would expect so, and to be fair the employer has been accomidating. The issue is with the childminder not the employer

bluenoseam

mel48rose wrote: »

Hi, sounds to me like childminder's being awkward. My two boys went to a childminder for two hours in the morning. I would suggest looking elsewhere. Good luck x

a brilliant childminder doesn't need to be awkward, in this case the childminder sounds more like they're ensuring they have a quantity of work which they can survive on. That's not being awkward, that's being sensible!

Takeaway_Addict

As a side, was the request for part time hours done formally or informally, if its the former then I would say you are stuck, if it was done the latter then you may as well stick another request in

mel48rose

bluenoseam wrote: »

a brilliant childminder doesn't need to be awkward, in this case the childminder sounds more like they're ensuring they have a quantity of work which they can survive on. That's not being awkward, that's being sensible!

Not much help to a working mother though is it?

Takeaway_Addict

mel48rose wrote: »

Not much help to a working mother though is it?

No but if the childminder has enough business that they feel they can have this in their contract then its not their issue really is it

skintandscared_2

Surely both of these requests would be part of the same overall "change of working hours" request. The OP has requested reduced hours, the employer has come back with a suggestion and the OP would like to see if that could be altered slightly. It's called negotiation!

Of course there is no burden on the employer to say yes. They have a legal obligation to consider the request, but if it doesn't fit with their business needs they are fully entitled to refuse.

OP, if your employer insists on you being there for at least a few hours every day, and your childminder will not work for less than 5 hours a day, I can't see how changing your hours would help at all. You'd have the same childcare costs with less pay.

Maybe your boss is being difficult, but thinking about the role that you do, is it reasonable that you could be absent for 2 days a week without it affecting the school? Maybe come up with a workable solution and present that to the boss with your hours suggestion. Or alternatively find a new childminder who doesn't have minimum hours and can fit in with your schedule.