What to do if your employer refuses your request for flexible working hours
As in any negotiation, keep a record of all the stages. Make a note of your initial meeting with your boss and of any further conversations; try to get the refusal in writing – along with the employer’s reasons for refusing your requests. This will be useful if you cannot come to an agreement and decide to go to a tribunal. It’s also a helpful practical procedure – it prevents unnecessary muddles and confusions, which could scupper the negotiations.
Go over your proposal again. Have you clearly stated the reasons why it would not be possible for you to work full-time or non-flexibly? Have you clearly demonstrated how you could successfully do your job in the new way you have suggested?
Contact your union. If you have a union, you will have already discussed your position with a union representative. Tell them that your request has been refused and ask their advice. Perhaps they have already helped somebody else in the organisation negotiate in a similar situation, and can advise you of successful approaches.
Double-check your contract to see if there are any provisions for flexible working.
Talk to the personnel or human resources department to see if your organisation has a stated policy on flexible working. Also ask if anybody else has a flexible working arrangement, or if they have had one in the past. Try to find out more about these: they might provide useful models or give you an idea about why your employer has had a negative reaction to your request.
Look at how other organisations make use of flexible working options for jobs such as yours and inform your employer about them – it may be that your organisation simply can’t see how to achieve what you ask.
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