Part time workers- what is reasonable 'working' time to use for appointments?

[nymphadora]

Not phrased that very well!

I work 3 1/2 days we have flexi-time as I often work late this works out quite well.

I have a lot of dental/doctors appointments atm and as I work an hour from home its not just a nip out for 1/2 hour. I have been arranging them at the start of the day and going in late or trying to arrange them round my days off. Which isn't easy at all (waiting 3 weeks for a blood test!etc)

Another member of staff(full time) who lives near me nipped out to the dentist and was out for about 3 hours in all and I was wondering how much time is reasonable for this sort of thing? The employer would be ok about a short appt which could be included in working time but what is reasonable for me?

(Sorry if that doesn't make sense, finding it difficult to explain!)

[ChasingSquirrels]

I always try and have appts when I am not at work. But then I did that when I was full time as best as I good - ie v early or v late appts.

[AMumInScotland]

I think it depends on how urgent it is, and how much difference it makes to the timing - if I had a choice between waiting 3 weeks for a test, or taking time off work for the appointment to get it done tomorrow, then I'd take the time off.

I'm fulltime now, but used to be parttime - back then I did what was reasonable to get appointments when I wasn't working, but that's not always practical. Your manager should be flexible about it, as long as you say that you tried to get a better time but it just wasn't possible.

We're all meant to try to get appontments outside work time, or else get them as close as possible to the start or end of the day, but realistically that isn't always possible - my gp works on a process of "take it or leave it" when they offer you an appointment slot, you've little chance of getting something more convenient!

[Peachy]

I think pretty much same as last post- try to get appts outside work, if not possible (and many aren't- for example ds3's ASD clinic is always monday 9.- 12 no other options) then that's fair enough; a reasonable amnount of time is the length to have the appt (AKA no shopping / coffee break LOL) though if something is very long I'd probably do a bit extra after hours just for sake of fairness

[islandofsodor]

When I used to work on a rota we were sent a memo to say that routine appointments eg dentists shoudl be made on our days/times off. However appointments like midwives/hospital ones where you didn;t have a huge amount of choice, maybe they only do clinics on certain days could be arranged in work time.

[TBCoalman]

When I had flexi time we were first encouraged to get appointments out of work time or at the beginning/end of day.

Where this was not possible we were given a flexi credit of one hour only, and had to make any extra time up.

[nymphadora]

Thats what I was wondering TB. I can't do appt at the end of the day because of my work I have lots of meetings after school and by the time I have travelled its around 7 by the time I get home. I do find my GP surgery v. difficult to get appts at though.

[TBCoalman]

It's difficult isn't it? I worked in an office open to the public and it actually made more sense to be out in the middle of the day as we had a lot of part timers who worked 10 -2, so it was the start and end of the day where I needed to be in really, yet we were told to make appointments outside of these times!

[nymphadora]

I know its also that distinction between p/t and f/t where when I worked f/t I would have time off(paid) for appt now I do it in my own time

[TBCoalman]

From what I remember (ages ago now), my flexi credit for essential in work time appointments was not pro rata'd.