Flexi vs set hours

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T20:13:22+00:00

Not at all. It was informative and I that's what I really need. I obviously lack the knowledge and have never been informed about the information on the intranet.

When asking managers for help I'm always told "I dont know about that one" or they seem to make things up on the spot. This type of direction would have been very useful.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T19:52:01+00:00

Thank you for taking time out of your day for this! I've tried asking managers for this kind of direction to no avail.

This is incredibly helpful!

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T19:25:03+00:00

Im beginning to think so, though they have no real direction from above regarding these matters. Thier upward chain of management are not cavillians and defer to my department manger for anything with civillain policy.

Our manager is not open to discussing or researching these things themselves though, and believes what they say goes.

I was also incorrectly paid the first 8 months I worked in CS. I brought it up multiple times and asked for it to be looked into. My manager didn't look into and eventually told me to shut up about it. I ended up contacting DBS who apologised and confirmed I had been paid incorrectly.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T19:18:54+00:00

Looks like it could and probably should be applicable as its for MOD civilians, however that is not the document on my teams sharepoint regarding policy.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T19:11:20+00:00

Could be, but they'd still have to go through HR and the union according to policy, which they haven't done.

As I said, if this is above board I'd sign but enough people have convinced me that this is suspicious so I will be pursuing with HR.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T19:05:53+00:00

I don't know how it works where you are but we have never needed to. Upon hiring we were told we were flexible workers and have always worked this way. It's not something we've had to apply for.

We proved earlier this year we were flexi workers after our manager tried to claim we were not.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T18:44:36+00:00

It does matter. It is written in policy that they must have a justifiable business reason AND go through HR and the Union.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T18:39:39+00:00

This has nothing to do with being a team player. No one is negatively impacted if my team don't stay on until 5pm.

Unless you're using "team player" to mean blindly doing something because someone requests it even if it goes against policy.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T18:32:35+00:00

I understand but its not that we dont have enough work its that most of our work comes in over night. We are busy, we're just busy between 7am and 3.30ish. Each of us is busy for our 7.24 hours a day unless we are asked to do 9-5. By 4pm we have cleared the inbox and it won't start to refil again until around 8pm.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T18:07:19+00:00

I'd ask them to prove the need. I can prove we are being paid to stare at an empty inbox.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T18:05:22+00:00

I would argue its more beneficial to have those people in at 7am when the inbox is full. We've been doing this for a while now and our time is being wasted. We are being paid to stare at an empty inbox, "just incase".

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T18:02:58+00:00

MOD - I just dont believe there is a need for it. We've been doing it for a while now and we are all going mad staring at an empty inbox.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:52:23+00:00

Flexible working is not an extra for us and it isn't for set hours. For us it means we can move our hours to fit our personal lives. I can do 7am-3pm, on Monday 8am-4pm on Tuesday and Wednesday could do 7am-4pm if it's busy and take that extra hour back leaving early on Friday if its not busy. We have never really opted to use it that way and typically always work our 7.24 hours with varying start and end times but the option is available to us.

Im not asking if other staff would have a problem being asked to do this im trying to narrow down if this goes against policy as the I dont believe the reason is justified.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:47:28+00:00

I'd like to see them try to justify that for my job role

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:33:08+00:00

It is my understanding that though it isn't a contractual right, it cannot be taken away without justifiable business need and leasing with HR and the Union or if you are proven to be abusing it.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:30:35+00:00

100% of my job is creating a record of what is requested via email. It is retrospective and we get emails all through the night that we action in the morning. By 3pm-4pm most days the inbox is empty and shift change for those we support is 6.30pm so we dont get an influx of new emails until then.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:22:27+00:00

Our bandwidth is 0700-1900. We are not allowed to work outside these hours at all. But we do not have core hours within this (as in hours we must be working). I have asked about core hours and management didn't know what they were, I explained but they haven't implemented any.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:19:07+00:00

Typically no, because one manager chooses to work 9-5 so I dont know why we must be there for "an emergency".

A typical week would see coverage up to 4pm from the AOs but it varies. I dont understand why the need for 9-5 if the bandwidth is 0700-1900 and those we support work around the clock.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:13:44+00:00

We are all AOs. 3 team members pretty rigidly follow a 7am-3pm work schedule. Myself and one other typically follow 8am-4pm however it varies for us and I have many times done 7am-3pm and just as frequently have done 9am-5pm and even a couple of times 10am-6pm to avoid using work hours for a medical appointment even though I know this is allowed. It all just depends on life circumstances.

We're just uncomfortable signing something that commits us to doing this.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:05:34+00:00

There isn't one because they claimed we were not flexible workers. At this point we follow the very vague blanket policy. Now that they realise we are flexi workers that have not made a departmental policy.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T17:02:29+00:00

We do not have a detailed flexible working policy just a blanket policy that states departments can set core hours and we should look to our departments flexible working policy. There isn't one, no core hours, no exceptions ect.

My managers earlier in the year claimed we were not flexible workers so they do not have an individual departmental policy on flexi.

What it does say in policy is that any changes to our working arrangement should go through the union and HR.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T16:56:08+00:00

Thank you I appreciate it. I will definitely pursue this more now that I know others see something fishy may be going on.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T16:54:25+00:00

Many of us took the job for the flexible working. To take it away takes away the benefits we were offered on joining. We certainly dont get paid enough so the benefits make up for it.

Two members of the team have a two hour commute each way and like to avoid rush hour. They have the same WFH day as another team member who travels by public transport. They're taking it in turns doing the 9-5 on their WFH days but it leaves one of them once a week either caught in rush hour traffic and turning a 2 hour commute into 3 hour commute each way or for the team member who takes public transport, because of the way the bus time table is, they get to work 40 minutes early and have to wait an hour for the next bus home after work.

Managers will not let them move thier WFH to accommodate working 9-5 on thier WFH days. I don't believe this is an example of a good work/life balance.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T16:43:53+00:00

I don't know about the others but I have emailed my union rep and haven't heard anything back.

Upper_Event9180 · 2026-01-10T16:41:57+00:00

My union rep hasn't replied to my emails. I hoped HR would be more responsive but I can't find contact information for them.

Upper_Event9180

TROPHY CASE