Hi All,

I have submitted an application myself and I would just like to ask for some
further guidence on my flexible workings application, before my forthcoming
meeting.
To help me prepare for my meeting, I would like to know what questions I
could be asked by my company, and more importantly, what areas could be
deemed inappropriate if i was asked a question.

i.e `Why do i need this application?` - this seems ok, but if it was
`What do i get up to in the evening?` - this seems irrelevant.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, but I am just trying to workout the
boundaries between what's appropriate and what's not as its personal to my
family life & child care and not work.

Are there any standard practises for companies to ask their employees when
they apply?

Many Thanks

Alex

On Nov 13, 8:10 pm, "Alex Barrow" wrote:
Hi All,

I have submitted an application myself and I would just like to ask for some
further guidence on my flexible workings application, before my forthcoming
meeting.
To help me prepare for my meeting, I would like to know what questions I
could be asked by my company, and more importantly, what areas could be
deemed inappropriate if i was asked a question.

i.e `Why do i need this application?` - this seems ok, but if it was
`What do i get up to in the evening?` - this seems irrelevant.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, but I am just trying to workout the
boundaries between what's appropriate and what's not as its personal to my
family life & child care and not work.

I am not a lawyeer or an employer. Moreover, the industry I work in
(software) tends to be extremely flexible (typical start times at my
job vary betwen 7:30 and 10:30). However ...

The more open you can be about your family life, the more your
employer can work with you to meet your needs and theirs.

As a very crude example, you might say that you need the flexibility
to work arbitrary hours providing you achieve a total of 40 per week;
depending on the business, that could be very disruptive. By
understanding your situation, it may be possible to work out that what
you actually need is to work round your partner's shift patterns -
which are fixed weeks in advance. That may well be much more
feasible.

(I am not suggesting that particular story fits your situation, just
that by understanding what your /needs/ are, rather than your
suggested /solutions/, the two of you may be able to jointly arrive at
a mutually satisfactory arrangement).

Of course, to a certain extent, this depends on how much you trust
your employer.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, but I am just trying to workout the
boundaries between what's appropriate and what's not as its personal
to my family life & child care and not work.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employme...ff/DG_10037051
has some general guidance, including

a.. you do not have to provide evidence of a caring relationship
b.. you do not have to provide evidence that you have a parental or
caring responsibility
c.. you do not have to demonstrate why the care cannot be provided by
someone else

But, while it may not be relevant to you, secrecy about the reasons for
flexible working hours may impinge on your relationships with
colleagues. (They may, for example, be more inclined to help out a
colleague who is working flexible hours to fit around cancer treatment
for a partner than one who is giving priority to a hobby.)
--
Robin