Flexible Working. Reduce lunch break...

FBaby

This issue comes up so many times, it's a nightmare for managers to deal with. It's all very well if you don't need to have enough staff to support the business from/until specific hours, or when you get a good range of staff wanting to come earlier/leave earlier.

The problem is when you have a team who all want the same thing. What I've experienced in the past is 5 staff whose school children attended two schools in a town 1/2 hour away, where their after school club charged more for children staying after 5pm. This lead so a number of them asking to finish at 4:30 to be able to make the 5pm time and avoid the £2.50 a day extra.

Then there was the issue of growing traffic which meant that even when leaving at 4:30, they didn't make it for 5pm, and being charged the £2.50 even for 5 minutes past 5, so suddenly, two asked to finish at 4:00. Because they couldn't come earlier due to dropping off, they wanted to bypass lunch break all together (already on 1/2 hour), which legally couldn't be done, but still they complained.

This then led to others feeling that they too should be entitled to ask for flexible hours, with one starting to ask to work from home 1 day a week, and then another.

The most stressful part is the requests that changes regularly in line with personal circumstances, usually children. When you have a number of staff whose children all start school within a couple of years of each other and all suddenly only wanting to take time off during school holiday, it's a nightmare. Add to this those whose children have grown up but are married to teachers....

t0rt0ise

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Nobody, literally nobody, at all, will choose to be there from 9 until 5 with an hour for lunch if there's the option of 9 until 4:30 with half an hour for lunch. Who on earth would choose that? They can't offer that option.

Rubbish. At one of my jobs we were allowed to do this and not everyone wanted to. Indeed most didn't. I didn't. I liked the hour off for lunch, half an hour is just not long enough to wind down and eat and rest. Besides most workers aren't so stupid and unfeeling as to begrudge someone who has child care problems, a slightly different working pattern. We aren't all selfish.

glentoran99

In my workplace people are free to start anytime between 7 and 10am, and free to leave anytime between 4 and 18.30


They cant also take any lunch from 30min to 2 hours


You know what everyone doesn't do the same, im shocked, and all hours are covered

marliepanda

glentoran99 wrote: »

In my workplace people are free to start anytime between 7 and 10am, and free to leave anytime between 4 and 18.30


They cant also take any lunch from 30min to 2 hours


You know what everyone doesn't do the same, im shocked, and all hours are covered

That's really not the point.

Your company choose to do that. Hurray.
This company is choosing not to do that, as is their right.

unforeseen

TBH the company could have said that the OP can finish half hour early but it will be classed as leave and deducted from their leave entitlement. That way the work less hours but get paid the same. Downside is that they may not have enough leave when THEY want to take it. Has been done before.

Would they be willing to lose a day's leave every 3 weeks?

KiKi

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

Good luck with that. I'm sure the people you've turned down are really engaged.

As I said, if I can accommodate them, I will. If I can't, then I have to say no - but I gave a reason for it. I'm sure the person concerned was disappointed.

Not sure why you need to resort to sarcasm when I posted a factual response, but hey!

sangie595

I have to admit that I haven't read every post closely, because by page 2.5 I usually lose the will to live. But I have read enough here to be able to say that I think most posters have lost the plot. It doesn't matter what anyone here thinks is right, fair or just. All that matters is whether the employer is entitled to say what they have. I see no evidence that they can't - but I may be wrong as it may have cropped up around about the point where the death wish kicked in. Can someone point to the actual law that the employer has broken for me? If not, then the rest is irrelevant opinion.

glentoran99

marliepanda wrote: »

That's really not the point.

Your company choose to do that. Hurray.
This company is choosing not to do that, as is their right.

It is the point if the argument is "Everyone will want to do it"


The company has also told the OP the hours are acceptable

glentoran99

sangie595 wrote: »

I have to admit that I haven't read every post closely, because by page 2.5 I usually lose the will to live. But I have read enough here to be able to say that I think most posters have lost the plot. It doesn't matter what anyone here thinks is right, fair or just. All that matters is whether the employer is entitled to say what they have. I see no evidence that they can't - but I may be wrong as it may have cropped up around about the point where the death wish kicked in. Can someone point to the actual law that the employer has broken for me? If not, then the rest is irrelevant opinion.

The reasons given for rejection aren't applicable with reasons acceptable for rejection of a flexible working application

TBagpuss

glentoran99 wrote: »

In my workplace people are free to start anytime between 7 and 10am, and free to leave anytime between 4 and 18.30


They cant also take any lunch from 30min to 2 hours


You know what everyone doesn't do the same, im shocked, and all hours are covered

This depends an awful lot on the size and nature of the company, and what cover is required. In our office, this doesn't work. we do a lot of stuff dealing with third parties which have rigid hours, we have clients coming in for appointments which means that you need to have reception fully staffed (and enough people available to man the phones etc), and we have a lot of work which has tight deadlines (e.g stuff that comes in at 3 and has to be out the same day)

We are as flexible as we can be with the needs or requests made by staff members but what we find is that very few people want to come in later in the morning, most want to leave earlier in the afternoons.

I think every single person who has requested flexible working in our firm has wanted to leave at 3, or 4, or 4.30. We are currently in a position where we could not grant a further request for the same as it would leave us understaffed. In a different field of work then things might be different, and the size of the organisation makes a difference as well.