Returning to work
Hi, I really need some advice! My baby was born in December 2011 5 weeks early with medical condition which required immediate surgery. Due to financial reasons I thnk that i am going to have to return to work very soon. I use public transport to get to work and this can take two hours each way. Due to babys condition he has to be ebf for at least 12 months, and i am going to find the journey to and from work really difficult on top of a shift at work. My employer has an office much closer to where i live would they allow me to relocate there which would mean I could continue to express bm without having to worry about the extensive traveling each day? Any advice would be very much appreciated as i have no idea how to approach this request!
Replies
Hi H2O.
When planning to return to work from Maternity Leave you should notify your employer of the date upon which you plan to return at least one month before. Ordinarily you would be expected to return to the post which you originally held or, if that post has been made redundant, one most closely related to it.
You can prior to your return to work apply to your employer for 'family friendly working conditions' which can include a reduction in hours to help with childcare, a change of jobrole to better suit your fanily needs or a change in workplace locations to be nearer to home in case of emergencies. You should submit this request as early as possible for consideration by your employer, they should give your request due consideration & submit their decision within 28days as to reasons to accept/decline you (i.e. there is no suitable post for you to transfer into, there is nobody else to cover the hours at present). Best wishes & good luck
Hi Kazzie thanks for your reply and advice! Im kepig everything crossed that my employer will be understanding to my request however i know from other peoples experiences that that they frown on flexible working requests and usually decline requests regardless of the reasons.
I know that they are currently vacancies available at my preferred location which are more or less identical to my currrent role.
Thanks again for your help! x