Childcare issues - Later start date

[MoominP]

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working for Royal Mail since March 2022 and I’m loving it! But I’ve come to a snag due to my ex husband planning childcare that does not work around the 6.30am start time I currently have.
The childcare around were I live opens at 7am nd no other ones open earlier than 7am.

Has anyone successfully arranged a later start time? Like 7.30am so that you can fit around childcare. I know it means starting an hour later and finishing later but it would be 3 days a week and I work full time!

I know Royal Mail have a policy that supports childcare and fitting around it but is it actually as good as it seems?

Just feeling a bit stuck really and can’t loose this job. Asking family isn’t an option as they live hours away

[denhamhoop]

Contact your Union Rep and speak to your manager as Royal Mail have a legal obligation to alllow flexibility around your working hours when Child Care is an issue. The bloke I work alongside every night starts an hour earlier than everyone else so he can finish to be home in time for his wife to go to work.

[aiden01]

Contact your Union Rep and speak to your manager as Royal Mail have a legal obligation to alllow flexibility around your working hours when Child Care is an issue. The bloke I work alongside every night starts an hour earlier than everyone else so he can finish to be home in time for his wife to go to work.

Bollox what happens when said person works there night off due to child care issues

[Foxel]

I know a few people who have/ or still do work around child care. I have on occasion told them I won't be in till x time when I've needed to take the kids to school, it's the one thing that they have never made an issue of.

[iHateD2Ds]

It's really down to local management if they can accommodate your change of hours ,it may be a case of changing contracted hours.

[2yearpostie]

Yeah my com is really good with things like that, any issue where you need to flex your hours is fine as long all the work gets done that day.

[Woody Guthrie]

It's really down to local management if they can accommodate your change of hours ,it may be a case of changing contracted hours.

It's actually the other way around.
If you put in an official request for flexible hours they have to accommodate you or show in writing a justifiable business case for refusal.

It's actually very difficult to refuse, after all most DOs and MCs already have various start and finish times so they would have to show that someone starting an hour later and finishing an hour later would have a disproportionate material affect on the business. That's almost impossible.

The responsibility is on them to prove their case, not on you.

[picture123]

Submit a flexible working application. Things to consider, are you on a vanshare? If so, will you be holding someone else back? Will it impact 1pm specials? Are you due to prep anyones else walk or sort , will it impact this? These are all reasons they may turn it down so just try and think them through and have solutions to hand If so, good luck

[Scotland1990]

Anyone ever requested flexible working for there childcare to drop from 5 to 4 days but still do the same amount of hours?