I have been with my company for 2.5 years and am currently in my sixth month of maternity leave. I recently submitted my Flexible Working Application (FWA) requesting a change in hours from 9-5.30 to 8-4.30, remaining as a full time worker. HR subsequently informed me (via conference call) that my requested hours would not work in my role. Additionally the company has changed the support ratio and parameters of my role (including work location) whilst I’ve been on maternity leave and as such my original role no longer exists. When I challenged them on this I was told the person carrying out my maternity cover is able to meet the new location and working hours requirements. The implication was that I fall in line and accept the new arrangements with the knowledge that my temporary cover can easily become a permanent arrangement. I asked about alternative positions within the business, but was told that none existed. Agreeing with the new terms has significant implications for me. My original role was designed around flexible working; my employment contract states I am a home-based mobile worker. I also gave full disclosure of my medical condition (a result of childhood cancer) in the company medical questionnaire upon joining the business. The impact of my physical mobility challenges was also verified via a Workstation (DSE) Risk Assessment carried out by the local Health and Safety Manager. I have all of this documented. As such the business has full awareness of the difficulties a commute into central London presents to me, and the practical advantages that a ‘drive to work’ commute affords with respect to my physical mobility challenges. I feel they are consciously discriminating against me in terms of my disability and maternity needs as they aware of my medical history and the reasonable adjustments required. I now have a follow-up call scheduled with a company HR Manager this week. From a legal standpoint do I have any options that will ensure I maintain a role as per my current employment contract? Are they in breach of my employment contract? Are they legally allowed to change my flexible working status and work location without my consent? As an alternative I would consider a voluntary redundancy package, but is there a minimum standard I should insist on (e.g. am I entitled to ensure I am financially supported until the close of this year)?
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During the Olympics we allowed people to work from home. One has requested to work from home full time since then. Do I have to agree if they say it worked okay during the Olympics?
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My employer has turned down my request to work 4 days a week when I return to work after maternity leave (SMP) which I am currently on. I usually work 5 days a week and my request was made due to the fact that the child minder I have found only has a 4 day a week slot available and I am reluctant to let this go as we have had trouble finding a good local child minder and the lady we have found is rated as outstanding by Ofsted. There are 2 secretaries where I work (me being one of them) and my request was made on the basis that the other secretary would be able to cover me for one day. My request has been turned down because it turns out my employer decided not to replace the other secretary who left the company just before I went on maternity leave, and instead have just one secretary i.e. me. I was never informed of this so it was complete news to me and a bit of a shock when my boss turned down my request on the basis that they required full time secretarial support. In the 4 years I have worked at the company they have always employed 2 secretaries and it does concern me that the workload will fall just on me. I voiced my concerns to my boss in a telephone conversation but was simply told that the girl who was covering my maternity leave is managing so he didn't see why I couldn't. My boss' manner was quite blunt on the phone, and not friendly in any way. I felt extremely anxious after the conversation and have been feeling very low ever since. When my boss replied to my original email request he ruled out the option of us getting a temp to cover me each Wednesday on the basis of workflow continuity. The whole situation is really playing on my mind. My job has changed without any word or warning to me and because of this my 4 day a week request has been denied. FYI I made 2 other requests which were granted; the first that I extend my maternity leave, and the second request was that I have half an hour lunch break instead of an hour and leave the office half an hour earlier each evening.
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I am currently on maternity leave. Before I left I put in writing to my manager stating that I would like to work 1 day a week from home and 4 days in the office upon my return. He told me verbally that he couldn't answer that question until I was back after maternity leave. A few days after this I had a meeting with the FD ( who is more senior than my boss) and the practice manager. I told the FD my manager's response to my homeworking request and he agreed verbally that I could work from home 1 day a week after my maternity leave on a 3-month trial basis. I went into the office last week and my manager asks what I was intending to do regarding hours when I come back in 5 weeks' time and I said I am going to do what was agreed (4 days in office, 1 day from home). He said that this was not possible as he has just written procedures stating that only advisers are allowed to work from home. I said that it had been agreed with the FD before I left, but he still insists that I cannot do homeworking. Where do I stand as I really don't want to have to go above him to the FD?
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I work part-time. I returned from maternity leave in 2010, and was transferred to the parent company shortly after when I signed a new contract which protected my terms and conditions. Although employed by the parent company, I was located at the branch office, 10 miles from home. In 2011, the branch was sold, and I have been allowed to work from home, although nothing was put on paper about this arrangement. Recently I was told by my manager that there is a department restructure and that there is no work that I can do part time from home, but that there are full-time jobs at the head office available, but this is 37.5 miles away. Would I be eligible for a redundancy package? What are my rights?
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