Articles From the Team

Change of circumstances? Need to request flexible working?

During your working life there may come a time whereby your personal circumstances change which has a knock on affect to your job. It may be that you have children, and it is necessary to work around nursery pick ups and drop offs. Or perhaps when children start school and you have to work around the school pick up times.

Nurseries and after school clubs can be restrictive as most close at six pm, given that most people work until five pm this does not open up a lot of flexibility particularly if you are trying to dash through rush hour traffic!

Therefore there may be a situation whereby your current working hours are no longer workable for you and your family. You may be required to sit down and work out what hours could work for you.

Depending on how open your employers are, it may be that you can sit down and have that conversation with your employers to alter your hours or work situation, including remote working.

You have a right to request flexible working and your employer can consider this, they do have the right to refuse this if it affects the needs of the business. I recently had this conversation to request a change in my hours to fit around picking up my daughter from school so I can relate and understand what it is like. It can be a stressful and worrying time trying to balance your work and personal life. For me the approach was an easy one as BCL Legal were extremely supportive and were able to sit down and listen to my needs and discuss what worked for me and BCL Legal. This is because they understand that everyone has different situations and what the implications are and discussing what solutions work best. Some people may not be as lucky as me and we are here to discuss what would work best for you.

You may find that your employer is not able to offer you flexible working and you have to consider a new job opportunity. Here at BCL Legal we do not just speak to you about jobs, we are here to consult with you about what your situation is and your needs to fit in with your personal life. It is about getting the right work life balance and we are here to help you with that.

Here at BCL Legal I focus on private practice recruitment in the East Midlands and Home Counties, specialising in recruiting partners, directors, senior associates, associates, solicitors and newly qualified solicitors of across all commercial disciplines.

If you would like to talk about your job search and enquire about vacancies please contact Victoria Noble or visit our website BCL Legal today.