How not to handle Flexible Working
In September 2017 about a month before I was due to return to work following my first maternity leave I found myself looking for a new job but that’s a story for another day…
After much searching and applying I reluctantly I accepted a full time role at Morrisons as it was clear part time working would not be an option from day one.
I waited the obligatory 26 weeks to make a flexible working request which I hoped would allow me to spend one extra day a week with my little boy and to manage my ever demanding role as a working parent.
My informal request to reduce my working week down from 5 days to 4 days was very quickly shut down with a passing comment that the job could not be done in 4 days. Ironically less than 3 years later 4 day working was enforced by the same organisation.
Undeterred by the refusal to accommodate my informal Flexible working request I set about making a formal request for flexible working. I completed all the forms, providing a detailed plan of how my proposal would work however the attitude was still very much full time working is the only option.
I later learnt that a 3 month trial of my flexible working request was discussed but this was never mentioned or offered to me and therefore did not happen.
It seemed that my 4 day working request was never going to happen so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I used my contacts within the organisation to try to find a role at my grade that could be done in 4 days but it felt impossible, the consistent response I got was “I’d love to have you on my team but not for 4 days”. There was an insidious idea that working less hours meant I was less committed and no longer ambitious. This simply was not the case. All I wanted was an element of flexibility in my weekly schedule in order to manage my responsibilities and life outside of work.
Two months later I finally found a role in the organisation, at the same grade I was currently doing, that allowed me to work 4 days and it transpired that many others in the same team worked part time too.
In order to secure a part time contract; working 15% less hours, I agreed to reduce my salary & holidays by 15%. I had to wait another two months before I was allowed to move from the full time role to start the part time role. From beginning to end the process took over 4 four months and was extremely unpleasant.
Once I finally started working part time, life was good, I was doing well at work and I had my much wanted one extra day a week with my little boy, however three years later following my second maternity leave everything changed. I was not able to return to the role I had been doing prior to maternity leave, instead I was placed in a role that had previously only ever been completed by someone working full time hours.
I raised my concerns about the relentless workload but no one took me seriously. I repeatedly questioned how I had been put in a full time role but no one could explain it to me. I was left to struggle all the while being told how competent and experienced I was and that if I prioritised things a bit better and got my head in the right place I would get the job done.
I raised an internal grievance and appeal but I got nowhere. I thought by telling the truth about the issues I was encountering a solution would be found however the processes and people in place completely failed me. I couldn’t understand why the issues weren’t being dealt with properly; the solution seemed so obvious and straightforward to me. There was a total denial from the business that I had been treated unfairly.
I was told time and again that the role I had been put in following my maternity leave was suitable for me. The lack of apology and resolution made me determined to seek justice. After months of gaslighting and an unachievable workload I felt I had no choice but to raise an Employment Tribunal claim. I had worked extremely hard for 15 years and I wasn’t prepared to give up my career and financial independence.
All the events I have detailed above, dating back to 2017, were used in my Employment Tribunal claim to demonstrate the challenges that I and so many other workers face when trying to secure part time work. These barriers which amount to discriminatory treatment have so much impact on people's lives & their ability to do what they need to do such as caring for a child, other dependents or pursuing whatever it is they want or have to do outside of work.
Change is needed. The well established & outdated systems within workplaces which breed toxic and discriminatory behaviours, not just in men, have caused women and many marginalised groups to feel isolated and incompetent for years. The Flexible working bill which will become law cannot come into force soon enough!
Over working is not the only way to prove your worth, my successful Employment Tribunal claim demonstrates that intolerable part time working conditions do not have to be tolerated. I am more than happy to be contacted for support and guidance on this issue. You can find me on online at www.letstalkwork.co.uk and through my Instagram account: Lets.Talk.Work