Flexible working during the school holidays

Flexible working during the school holidays

With the school holidays fast approaching, we are being asked many questions about parents working remotely from home to balance work and childcare; after all most employers do not offer 13 weeks’ holiday, let alone a block of 6 weeks during the summer (and I use the word ‘summer’ loosely😊). We want to share with you a few of these FAQs and our responses.

Can Freda work from home for the 6 weeks of the summer school holidays?

As you would expect from an HR professional, it depends… there are numerous things to factor in:

·        the nature of her role and if she can work from home

·        the age of the children e.g. teenagers are quite self-sufficient and wouldn’t interrupt mum at work however 5 year olds have different needs

·        does her role allow you to set clear objectives that you can measure effectively?

·        what is the impact on the rest of the team if she is not in the office?

·        the expectation of attendance at meetings in the office to work collaboratively with colleagues

Do I have to give parents preference to holiday requests during the summer months?

The simple answer to this is ‘no’. Even though every parent will tell you how difficult it is to juggle childcare/holiday clubs etc. and work life, they should not be given preferential treatment. It is however about having those conversations with everyone in your team so they can all understand each other’s needs and wants and learn about fairness within the team ….we don’t get many summer months and we need to share!

What should we do if Bob submits his holiday requests in January, totalling 28 days throughout the year?

Explain to your team it is not necessarily about first come-first served!  The team need to work together as noted above and fairness comes into play.  If Bob had 2 weeks off last year in August, it is someone else’s turn this year if there are not enough people in the team.

Can Ted leave early every day at 4pm to collect his child from holiday club?

Whilst these holiday clubs are a god send, regrettably they do not stay open until 6pm or later to allow parents to finish their working day and then pickup their child. Consider whether Ted can leave early and log back on when he gets home to complete his contractual hours.

All situations are discussed and agreed on a case-by-case basis, as everyone’s needs differ. Have those open conversations, you truly will end up with a more engaged workforce.  We’ve supported any organisations with these types of queries.  If we can help, get in touch.