2 days 8.30-5.30 and 1 day 8.30-1.30 or 3 days 9-5? Which would you prefer?

[Lucy1977]

Hi everyone

My work have agreed to let me return to my old position part time (3 days a wk) in the New Year. My old hours were Mon-Fri 9-5. With my new agreement being 3 days of 9-5 that's 21 working hours. Now I'm thinking maybe it would be better to do two long days (8.30-5.30) and have one day of 8.30-1.30 which is still 21 hours?

Ill be dropping DD at nursery and collecting her. My work is a 30 min train journey from nursery then we have a 15 min drive home.

Are there other things I should consider or just go with my preference?

Also, I can pick which consequtive days I work and I can't decide which is best : Mon- Wed, Tues-Thurs or Wed-Fri.

Thanks for any advice

Lucy

[QuootieSpookypie]

if it was me... id go 1st option for hours, and Tues- Thurs. You can recover from weekend on a monday, and have friday off like a long weekend. Then, the 1/2 day youd be home by afternoon - almost like you were never at work

[Littlefish]

I've had 2 different part time jobs in the last year.

One was Mon, Tues, Wed and my current one is Tues, Wed, Thurs. I absolutely love having Mondays off - I never get that "Sunday night feeling". It took me a while though to get used to not starting the week with a working day.

[DarkAlleyBongo]

how old is dd? will she be okay to stay at nursery a little later?

[rustycreakingdoorbear]

I'd go for the Tues -Thu 2long 1 short option too, though you might want to check what happens about Bank Holidays, which are all Monday & Fridays (assuming your in the UK)- would you get time in lieu or just miss out?

[screamsprout]

I do Tues-Thurs and it works really well. At first I may have gone for the first option but I get really tired and know I wouldn't be very productive by the end of one of those really long days. I work 8.30-4.30. Dh drops ds off so I can get to work and then I am with ds again by 5.30 so we always see each other for a bit, even on work days. Wouldn't want to have days where we practically don't see each other.

Hope you find the right pattern for you and dd.

[Lucy1977]

Thanks for your replies.

DD will be 1 when I go to work but if I worked until 5.30 DH would pick her up at 6pm so no later than if I finished at 5pm.

Do your DC have their evening meal at nursery or do you give it to them when they get in? Currently DD is 8 months old and has her dinner at 5pm, bath at 6.15 and bed at 7. Are your evening routines really rushed? Maybe I am trying to do too much and perhaps working 8.30-4.30 would be better?

Sorry if I sound like I haven't thought this out properly, i'm just really unsure how I'll work it.

Thanks
Lucy

[taffy101]

I found the biggest thing about going back to work is getting there of a morning. Once you are there stay there all day!! so i would choose the 2 long days and one nice short day. very convenient if nursery will do evening meal too otherwise your evening routine is very rushed which is v. tiring after a long day at work. If already fed you can just enjoy bathing dd and put her to bed then you can relax and have your meal with dh.
Wouldn't be fussed about what 3 days i did, except that some places now penalise part-timer's bank holidays (ie if you are part time and get all the loverly mondays off you owe the company some lieu time- similarly if you missout on all the bank hols they owe you lieu time - so consequently I chose not to do mondays)think its an EU thing
HTH

[paddingtonbear1]

hi lucy, when I went back to work I did 3 days wed-fri, 8.30-5. Nursery could only do those days at first, but it worked out fine. dd had her tea there and milk/snack when she came home. Now dd is 3 and I work Mondays as well - prefer this to Tuesdays as I get bank holidays too which otherwise I would miss out on. In my position I think I'd go for 2 longer days and 1 short, but dd of course is older and goes to bed a bit later! In your case I'd say to perhaps start off with 3 days finishing at 4.30 - giving you more time in the evening - then change when dd is older?

[Lucy1977]

More great replies, thanks everyone.

Bank holidays in our work are given to you as extra annual leave so if anyone wants to take it off they have to request it as time off so I wouldn't be worse off for not working Mondays.

Yes, I'm involved in the fund raising at our work and usually around 4 times a year we have events on which do happen on a Friday, it would be good to be there for these.
We also have dress down at work on Fridays so it doesn't feel like a day at work.

After talking at length with DH last night I've now whittled it down to two options.
Tues-Thurs 8.30-5.30 then 8.30-1.30 OR Wed - Fri 8.30-4.30 (not worth going in for half day on a friday).

I would probably be able to change working arrangement further down the line as I will hopefully fall pregnant with baby no 2 towards the end of next year so could again apply for a new flexible working agreement prior to returning.

Lucy

[ozharrysmum]

Hi Lucy,
If it were me, I'd take 8.30-5.30/8.30-1.30. And Tues to Thurs. Good luck with the return.
Kate

[jabberthefriendlyghost]

Another vote for 2 1/2 days, Tues - Thurs. It's actually very similar to my current schedule which works out great for us.

[threebob]

A big vote for getting your dh to do 2 of the pick-ups. It's good for many reasons.

I have Wednesdays off which I love - but I seem to be in a minority.

I would do the 2 long days as a extra hour won't make a lot of difference to your dd, but that short day will make a big difference to you.