Hi, I'm looking to gain more information and understanding into working as a train driver and flexible working.
Flexible working arrangements are set down in law and well worth the both of you looking into them and getting some neutral advice from the respective agencies.
My ex partner has been a qualified driver for about a year now. He has told me he is on a 3 year probationary period
That is totally feasible. It is down to the individual terms and conditions for each TOC. There is no universal probation period so the advice given about 3yr being right or wrong is poor advice. The TOC will set the period of probation
and that if he was to put in a request for flexible working (in our case the same 2 days of every week to have his daughter) it would put his job at risk.
Potentially he is right. It is very subjective but flexible working will certainly have a long term impact on his career as well as his day to day driving. I'm happy to discuss that but there will be an impact on his job 100%
He feels that if he put this request through and they did accept that he would be putting his job at risk and that during his yearly review it could go against him.
Clearly it has an impact. He is a new Driver and wants to integrate into the depot and kick off his career as a Driver. Emotionally for him it will become detrimental at work. That is not good for anyone let alone Drivers.
If anyone who is currently working as a train driver and has been in a similar situation or knows of any similar cases could give any insight or information in regards to this it would be great. Thanks.
Me.
It's todo with regular and consistent contact with our daughter. Jus wanted to find a resolution to consistent contact and havin the same two days off most weeks would help the situation and bring some stability for us both as at the moment we're changing days every week which does bring some conflict.
This is the more emotive side of the discussion. From a personal perspective that "conflict" will never go away. It sounds harsh, but grow up. You are both adults and absolutely need to realise it is only about your daughter. My ex and I are not on the best of terms but we are doing the best for our kids. Flexibility and understanding comes from both sides. Yes, it took a while but we had to put our personal difficulties aside for the kids.
Your clearly concerned over his time with his daughter and are trying to understand. You have taken the time to join an industry forum and learn about his role. That makes you a superb parent. Take the next step and talk to him.
I just wanted to know and try and understand abit more about his job and what he can and can't do. By the sounds of it though he probably wouldn't be able to have the same days of most weeks so we will have to come up with another resolution that suits us both. Thanks for your advice.
We work a fixed roster based on a number of days off per year. Typically on a late / early shift cycle. The timetable changes in May and December and the roster will typically be recast at those times.
You are expected to work any day but some TOC's have Sundays outside the working week. Bank holidays are typically on a rotation or arranged locally.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE.
Getting a fixed arrangement together doesn't work. Our roster flips upside-down and sideways too much. The change to the roster you have becomes more of a problem than any solution. It also causes more trouble to the kids and parents. As a Driver I would lose more days with the kids on a fixed (flexible working) roster than I would by going through my normal roster. Its not fair on my ex but as she does understand how my roster works she is the flexible one. I understand how much of a pain in the ass that is for her so so she gets a huge amount of latitude from me for other things.
Its also beneficial for the kids to see me on the different days of the week and not a fixed set of days. "Weekend Dad" syndrome is not healthy for children. They, and I, get a more holistic experience when I'm part of their everyday life. They also get to understand my job and how it impacts their lives too. In the long term they have benefited greatly.
since when did this forum become 'mumsnet' ? Simply shows the level of trust, that you now have, since your separation.
This is probably the best place for her to get an insight into the Driver role. Well done to her I think.
'mumsnet' is a minefield of hate and bitterness. Although a great place to find things to do for the kids. (it does have a positive side)