4

Job Offer & Flexible Working

Hi

Our standard working hours are 9-5pm. We are offering a role to a candidate who says they need to have flexible working to drop and pick their children up from school on the days they are working in the office. They wish to be able to arrive into the office around 10am.

This would normally be ok as we are quite flexible when it comes to these kind of things, but the problem is we have daily meetings every morning at 9:15 that this person would miss. These meetings are vital in the sense that they cover what work each sales person has on that day.

The candidate has said they may be able to get around this situation in a few months.

Are we able to put in their offer letter they can have flexible working but this will be only for say the first two months?

Thanks

194 views
  • It’s interesting that you see yourself as quite flexible but have a fixed relatively early meeting in the day. Why is that tine so important?

    The challenge for you is the if it can work for 2-3 months the legitimately the employee could argue you don’t have a legitimate reason to refuse ( in line with the legislation).

    But yes you could write this into contract. But not sure that will solve your problem.
  • I would agree with Keith - if it works to be flexible for a couple of months, there’s no real incentive thereafter for the employee to cobble together childcare for their office days.

    Also, (albeit that I know we don’t have all the details) it seems like there might be a wider requirement for flexibility, if your employee also needs to pick their children up from school as well as drop them off - there’s a good gap between the end of the usual school day and your end of work day at 5pm!

    I can’t see any benefit to either the company or the employee of offering the role with only short term flexibility. Surely it either works for the role or it doesn’t?
  • In reply to Keith:

    Thanks Keith
  • In reply to Maya:

    Thanks Maya