I work in a transactional department of a leading London firm and am currently on maternity leave. My request to return on a part-time basis (four days a week) was rejected by my boss, who made sympathetic noises but made little obvious effort to look into it.

I accept it is not easy to accommodate everybody, but I do not feel my request was taken seriously. What are my options? Is it worth taking any further or will I just be branded a troublemaker?