Returning to work after maternity leave

[fiyah]

Hi all im hoping someone can give me a bit of advice.

 

Im due to go back to work on June 3rd after being off on maternity leave (my older posts explain the problems i had there, but ive now got a lovely little boy called max)

 

My maternity pay finished 2 weeks ago and i am now using up 4 weeks holiday from last year.

A couple of weeks ago i popped into where i work and my boss (a new one not the one from my previous posts but hes just as bad) approached me and asked if i could pop into work one day to discuss my rota when i return to work....he already knew the date i had proposed to come back and he was fine with this.

 

We had the above mentioned meeting yesterday and he sat me down in the canteen, my son was with me as i have no one to look after him, he got his diary out and asked again when i was returning to work so i told him and he then asked what i wanted from this meeting......i thought we were talking about the work rota not having a meeting.

 

He asked about my circumstances, about my parents, about my sons father......some quite deep probing questions that i didnt think were relevant, but i told him as he then cant turn round and say i said nothing.

Now this is where im kicking myself because he asked about my working hours and what can and cant i do........as i hadnt made a written request for flexible working within 28 days of my return. Have i completely blown any chance of working around my childcare?

 

I have no one, and when i say no one i mean no one, to help me with my sons and im scared to death now im not going to be able to work the hours he wants me to do and i think he knows hes got me over a barrel.

Ive had so much going on since having my son, losing my home, being the victim of DV, going to court for restraining orders, being made homeless again by my sister kicking me out.......my head hasnt been where it should be so i never even thought about flexible working request.

 

Anyway i told him i had found a nursery for my baby just around the corner from where i work, that had been a struggle in itself as places are few and far between. The nursery is only open monday to friday 8am - 6pm, i said to my boss i would like to work 9-2pm monday to friday....i cant work weekends as ive got no childcare, i cant do 6am starts as ive got no one to take my other son to school and i cant do 10pm finishes as i dont have childcare and i dont have anyone to fetch my son from school......my sons school is 14 miles from where i live so he cant walk.

 

Ive been told by my boss that he cant see how this will work as im a "team leader and in effect im there to run shifts and manage the staff" and "if i start at 9am monday to friday there will already be a manager there whos been there since 6am so there would be no point me being there"

Hes said he can look into moving me to another store but he doesnt think anyone will want me due to my working hours.

 

He said he will have to speak to HR to seek advice and if they tell him i can come back on my requested hours then "hes stuck with me on those hours" if they say i cant do those hours then he doesnt know what im going to do.

Have i totally ballsed this up by not putting in a flexible working hours request? I cant see his reason as to why i cant do those hours as being a valid reason, but again ive put nothing down in writing so i dont think i have a leg to stand on if he says no.

 

Stressing out here and thats not good

 

Help! Thanks in advance x

[fiyah]

sorry i forgot to mention im a team leader for a well known supermarket and my normal hours are 39 hours p/w no fixed hours or days off....my rota just changes each week and my shifts can be either 6-2pm, 8-4pm, 9-5pm or 2-10pm.

I also forgot, see my heads all over the place, that the management team was store manager, assistant manager, 2 full time team leaders and 1 part time team leader. Since ive been off this has now changed to 3 full time team leaders and 1 part time.....i dont see how theres space for me to come back if im honest as we were over staffed before i went on leave, the new full timer has only started this week aswell.......even tho they knew i was coming back in 2 weeks time and presumed i was coming back full time.

[Conniff]

You seem to be saying you can't get flexi working as you haven't applied in the requisite time before returning to work. You can submit a statutory request at any time and request a meeting within 28 days. That request must be responded to within 14 days.

 

So you should put your request for a meeting in at the earliest opportunity.

[fiyah]

right i shall get that done now, ive downloaded the form from my unions website so i shall hand deliver that to him today.

Thanks