Make a part-time proposal your employer can discuss

A useful reduced-hours proposal covers more than the total number of hours. Your employer needs to understand when the work would happen, while you need to know whether the pattern is compatible with care and travel.

Describe the week

State preferred working days, start and finish times, and whether the pattern is intended for a defined period. Consider recurring meetings and customer coverage you know about, but do not promise availability that childcare cannot support.

Separate boundaries from preferences

Perhaps nursery closes at 16:30, while your preference for a free Friday is negotiable. Knowing the difference helps you respond during a meeting without agreeing too quickly to an arrangement that cannot work.

Prepare a fallback with equal care

A fallback is not a surrender. It can be a different distribution of the same hours, a staged change, or a review after a set period. Make sure it remains viable for your family.

Confirm the outcome

After discussion, identify what will be confirmed in writing: hours, distribution, start date, duration and any review point. If the response raises a question of legal entitlement or refusal, seek qualified advice promptly rather than relying on an informal summary.