Requesting flexible working hours in my new job.

72 Posts


Hello all,
I work in a big organization. I currently work 10am-6pm - I drop my son off at school and my wife picks him up.
I interviewed for, and was subsequently offered, a new job (promotion) in a different department to my current one. Each department is like completely new organisation despite being the same company. I mentioned in my interview my desire to work different hours so that I can continue dropping my son at school. They said this can be considered. Two weeks after the interview I had an email saying I am welcome to submit a flexible working request when I start with them but that the expectation is that I work 9-5 (ie a request is likely to be rejected).
My other considerations are that my wife works from home 100% and is the main breadwinner - earns more than double what I earn. SHe is pregnant and is planning to take a whole year maternity from July so taking son to school and picking up is possible for her but she'd also have the new baby.
I dont really know what to do - Im not sure I would have accepted the new job had I known the hours would be fixed at 9-5 and thought I was being responsible raising it in the interview.
Any advice?
I work in a big organization. I currently work 10am-6pm - I drop my son off at school and my wife picks him up.
I interviewed for, and was subsequently offered, a new job (promotion) in a different department to my current one. Each department is like completely new organisation despite being the same company. I mentioned in my interview my desire to work different hours so that I can continue dropping my son at school. They said this can be considered. Two weeks after the interview I had an email saying I am welcome to submit a flexible working request when I start with them but that the expectation is that I work 9-5 (ie a request is likely to be rejected).
My other considerations are that my wife works from home 100% and is the main breadwinner - earns more than double what I earn. SHe is pregnant and is planning to take a whole year maternity from July so taking son to school and picking up is possible for her but she'd also have the new baby.
I dont really know what to do - Im not sure I would have accepted the new job had I known the hours would be fixed at 9-5 and thought I was being responsible raising it in the interview.
Any advice?
Januray 2015
CC - £2100 NOW £1222
CC - £1006 NOW £890
LOAN - £2100 NOW £0.00
OD £810 NOW £0.00
CC - £2100 NOW £1222
CC - £1006 NOW £890
LOAN - £2100 NOW £0.00
OD £810 NOW £0.00
0
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
Whilst it is always hard (for both parents, if they are both working at it) with a new baby, I think it's not impossible, given there's planning time still, for her to be able to do the school run with a baby. Many of us have had to do it, so it's not impossible. It's actually not even that hard most of the time with planning.
In her shoes too, I'd want to support you with this opportunity to progress. Fantastic she is the breadwinner. Great she earns a lot. But life can change on a sixpence, so progression for you is a good thing - as is the satisfaction of progressing, new challenges and trying new skills.
So I would talk to her in the context of how do you make it work. If they refuse your first request, you have a year to prove yourself and can submit again. But none of this is insurmountable if you both want it to work. Kids grow up so fast. Before you know it, they'll be taking themselves to school and won't want to be seen dead with either of you. But seeing positive and happy, progressing and progressive parents, role models worth emulating, is worth more to a child than anything.
You can both make this happen. If you want to.
That way your wife wouldn’t be doing the drop off 5 days a week.
You are looking to a promotion which would prevent your taking your child to school most days.
Your wife has a job which is working from home (so perhaps not that far from the school) and would need to get him there before 9 am. So she'd be back at home close to normal business start times and perhaps these are not critical if she is able to take time in the middle of the afternoon to collect them now.
The question is, "how does the boy get to and from school, who is available to accompany him?"
Answer: a parent takes the child and the one available is the mother.
It's not about who earns the most and sharing child care: it's about the practical task of getting the child to and from school.
Can you still turn it down if that is your preference? Did you say when it was offered that you were only willing to accept if you could continue your current hours?
That said, many (perhaps most) larger organisations tend to go further that the law would actually require in accommodating this sort of request, as they often do with reasonable adjustments for disabled staff etc.
In many ways this is a situation where their "real world" attitude is more important than legal entitlements.
The parent who is available to take my child to school is not 'the mother'. My wife works from 7:30am - 2:30pm. She collects my son from school. I work 10am - 6pm. I get my son up, give him breakfast and drop him at school on the way to work. This works well and will work when we have another child.
My son's school starts at 8:55am. The school is 30-35 minutes from my work. The school has told us there is no space available in the breakfast club so that is not an option. So if my new job insists I start at 9am that would leave my wife to take my son to school and pick him up at the end of the day. Soon she will also have to take our other child to nursery and collect them too. All while doing her own job which, relevantly, is most of our income.
CC - £2100 NOW £1222
CC - £1006 NOW £890
LOAN - £2100 NOW £0.00
OD £810 NOW £0.00