I have a week of maternity leave left until I'm due back at work. However, my employer today informed me that I'm no longer required to go into work so as not to inconvenience me due to upcoming alternative staffing arrangements that need to be made after reviewing company profit and loss summary and financial statements. I informally requested flexible working by email three months before returning to work, but my employer put off answering my request with seemingly legitimate reasons. After I pushed them for an answer again, I was verbally informed by a senior colleague last week that my request had been approved. However, today I received a formal letter rejecting my request for flexible working due to structural changes as they are closing our office. They also informed me it's unnecessary for me to commence work in two weeks and they will pay me until a meeting in three weeks with my other colleagues about how the structural changes will affect our roles. I'm feeling shocked and worried that I am to be made redundant and unsure about what to do from here. As my informal request for flexible working was by email does it mean it isn't valid? They have suggested I can appeal, but I'm unsure on what grounds I'm able to appeal.
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I have been employed in the retail business by my current employer for 17 years. Since I had the first of my three children I have been working part time. I returned from my last maternity leave two years ago and have been working the same working pattern since then - evenings and weekends. My employer has recently decided to change my working pattern so I will have to use a childminder. I have managed to get a childminder, but cannot cover the summer holidays. I have therefore had to apply for flexible working so that I can be off over the school holidays. In the meeting with my employer they were very probing about my childcare arrangements. Are my employers allowed to do this? My line manager tells me if they offer it to me it would be probable that it would be on the understanding that my hours would be anywhere and everywhere through out the week with no fixed rota (they are just being awkward). The hours are due to change in the next week or two and I have not formally agreed to them and they were putting me under pressure to do so.
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I've recently gone back to work (part-time three full days) after having my second child. My first child starts full-time school next year and my second child will be in nursery. Because my part-time role starts in January 2012. Can I put in another flexible request to start in September 2012? If so and it gets refused, what are my options for childcare and taking holidays from work, as we don't have any friends or family near by?
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I have been with my employer since 2007. I returned from maternity leave in July of this year. I work 32 hours per week and my little one goes to a childminder two days a week. My childminder recently informed me that she will not be working the week between Christmas and New Year so I approached my employer and asked if I could take the two days off that the childminder would have had my son. This request was refused as we are not allowed to take leave in December (although another colleague is taking annual leave in December). I was told I need to get childcare sorted, but I have no family nearby. Obviously I cannot leave my son at home alone so where do I stand with being able to take the time off?
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I have just returned to work after 52 weeks off for maternity leave. I was due to be back in the summer and organised childcare etc for this. My boss told me that they would pay me maternity until November. I didn't think this was right and said so, but she was insistent that they could claim it back. On coming back on my first day she told me that she had used all my holidays to cover my time off from August. She apparantly sent me an email in assuming it was ok which I never received. I would never have agreed to her using my holidays and wanted to be back in August as I have been paying out childcare and not doing anything and frankly falling into a little bit of a depression the last couple of months. I'm so confused I don't know what I can do. I just know it feels wrong. She also wanted me to work 16 hours over 5 days even though I had told her I have arranged three full days of childcare.
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