Q: I work in an office in a suburb of Boston. When I was
hired four years ago, my hours were set as 8:00am – 4:30pm. My hours are
important to me because I have to pick up my daughter at 5:00pm and
this gives me enough time to get to her day care with about 5 minutes to
spare. Our day care charges extra fees if a parent is just one minute
late.
I have a new supervisor who has asked that I work 8:30am – 5:00pm. This would be very difficult for me. How should I handle?
A: Thanks for submitting your question. Hours can be critically
important to employees who are often juggling other commitments like
children, taking classes, elderly parents or other responsibilities.
My recommendation would be to first request a brief meeting with your
new supervisor. Ask him/her if there is a reason your hours need to
change, and explain your need to leave at 4:30pm. Most supervisors will
understand this need and hopefully accommodate it. What I don’t know is
if there are other employees who have asked that they also leave at
4:30pm. Your supervisor may be trying to balance business needs with the
needs of employees.
My recommendation would be to first request a brief meeting with your
new supervisor. Ask him/her if there is a reason your hours need to
change, and explain your need to leave at 4:30pm. Most supervisors will
understand this need and hopefully accommodate it. What I don’t know is
if there are other employees who have asked that they also leave at
4:30pm. Your supervisor may be trying to balance business needs with the
needs of employees.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.