AIBU about being treated unfairly after maternity leave?

I pressed unreasonable by mistake. If your husband’s job is secure he should take the lead the next couple of times your baby is unwell. And check in with Pregnant Then Screwed about what the law says about flex working and giving it time to work.

Three months is quite a short period of time to say it isn't working. Returning to work after maternity leave is really difficult, and they seem to have moved very quickly to changing your role. 4 times off due to your child being unwell in 3 months is quite a lot though. Even if it is annual leave you're taking, I'm assuming this is short notice so they are still short staffed. I guess they are worried you'll continue taking one or two days a month ongoing. Really difficult one OP but I think you'll struggle to prove you're being treated unfairly.

Sorry about your situation but as an aside, "sort’ve"

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To be honest, if they returned you on the same role and the same pro-rata'd salary but allowed you to work three days, they tried to make it work. But they are a fast-paced business in a tough economic environment so they need to be able to rely on you. You should share childcare leave with your dh because small children are poorly a lot during the first two years. Can you call on other family to help?

It's annoying but not uncommon.

Whilst it sounds like they've made an effort - 3 months is a ridiculously short period of time to say it's not working. Especially as there have been changes during that time. That they've decided it's not working without discussing it is also not fair.

It's all starting to look like window dressing.

Yes you have been treated unfairly in my opinion.

Write it all down and ask for a meeting your manager and HR to discuss it all.

Consider calling ACAS for advice on how best to approach this.

If you’re using annual leave then it does seem as if they’re being a bit harsh.

4 times , how many days each time? If you are only working 3 days pw that is a significant number in a short time. AL or not, it is disruptive if your work is not delivered and others are affected. You need a discussion with your employer as to whether the shorter week is viable in the role and if it is the absences causing an issue. Even if your child is clingy you are not entitled to leave at short notice to care for them. What options do you have?

It seems likely that your role could have been done in 3 days per week, but because you made it clear from the start that you wouldn’t actually be in 3 days a week, they have got fed up with the arrangement. But as others have said, we can’t really comment without knowing how much time you’ve had off. If it’s been a couple of days then they’re being unfair, but if it’s been much more than that, then I don’t blame them.

I don’t think they can cut your pay though (although I’m not an expert in this).

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Plus I think it was a huge mistake for you to have taken so much time off straight after Mat Leave. As a minimum you and your DH should have shared it equally but ideally him doing the bulk until you were back longer and had added value/settled back in

Your employer seems fair.
Could you ask to stay in the current role for one more month of trial given that you want to succeed. During that time ask your husband to be the one who always takes time off with your sick baby.
Your husband perhaps did not take as much parental leave as you and his job could afford to suffer a wee bit more while you strengthen up your career.

I think it's probably down the the extra time off you have had and whether you can be reliable going forward as to why they want to switch things up. Under the premise you 'can't do the work in 3 days'

It's always difficult returning to a role after leave, especially on reduced days, and some jobs just aren't suitable for pt hours.

It does sound like your employer has been accommodating, easing you back into things, only giving you enough work for the days, but it's not worked due to you being pt so they are making adjustments. I'm not sure what else they can do tbh.

Whilst your dc is a baby and you're all adjusting to going back to work and the sickness children get at that age, I'd stick with this employer as they sound pretty good and seem to be looking after you well

Like other posters, I don't think you've been treated unfairly.

But I remember how hard it was to return after maternity leave. You've missed out on x months in the workplace, you've got a different role, you've got less hours, you've got a new team, you've got a whole other full time responsibility at home that you didn't have to factor in before you became a parent. It's an incredible adjustment.

Do you have anyone that you could develop a mentor type relationship with to help you work through your new priorities and give you an objective perspective at work? I'm not saying you're not up to your job, or that you need coaching. But just someone you trust to check in with regularly to offload and mull things over with and come up with constructive ideas.

“I’ve taken a bit more of the time off as my child is very clingy with my when unwell and so I’ve wanted to care for him”

They’d have been fine with him though.

You’ve got 10 years experience in this company, and know this role. Do you think it works as a 3 days?

I work in a “fast paced” team, and frankly it’s a PITA that we have one quite senior person who is 4 days. It’s also a PITA that one person finishes at 14:30. However, we have several doing part time where it doesn’t matter at all, and a very senior jobshare that works brilliantly.

Some roles do not work part time. I went from 4 to 5 days for mine. We’re a team of 5 in my actual role. Anyone one of them can do exactly what I do. But - it’s client facing so quick decisions are expected and it’s the sort of role where you hold so much on this week’s issues (and all the history) in your head that something I can answer instantly could be hours of research for my very good and experienced colleagues. (hours because of waiting for answers to come back)

I have seen companies treat people returning like shit and push them out.
But I’ve also directly felt the pain of working alongside someone (and doing that 2 hours of chasing for something they’d know instantly) who has been given hours unsuitable for our type of role.

Tricky one. I can see why you feel frustrated but it has been three months (not just one). If the business needs you to do the full-time job you used to do and this genuinely can’t be compressed into three days, then it sounds like you will have to change roles if you aren’t prepared to go back full-time. As PPs said, you asked for more work but then were not able to complete it as, due to the regular sick days, you haven’t even been managing to do the agreed three day week.

Your employer sounds sympathetic and you have goodwill there so I would try the new role if I were you (assuming no pay cut). Once things are more normal, you can then think about whether to stay with this company or whether there may be a better fit for you elsewhere.

I would say a lower workload after returning for the first few weeks after returning from maternity leave and putting in steps to enable OP to catch on what was missed on non-working days, was a more than appropriate reasonable adjustment in this case.

However, the crux for OP is what her contract says - was it officially changed to state her 3 days a week working pattern and new responsibilities? Was it made clear that the arrangement would be reviewed after 3 months? OP's employer can't just move her to "any other job" willy nilly. Does the job have the same job title even if the actual day to day work is different?

Does the new role affect pay or benefits? If not, I’d give it a go, you can always feed back and maybe make adjustments later…

Do you not think they did make reasonable adjustments? They gave her less work so she could ease in to the new part-time role she asked for. She didn't like that, asked for more work, but she hasn't been able to do it. So they're giving her a role that they think will suit her better. To me, that sounds like the very definition of Reasonable Adjustments.

It's sounds like moving you if being accommodating. Companies employ you to do a role, 3 months later you bring pt and taking extra time off means they need to make changes, they are moving you to a position which can cope with pt hours and time off

I’ve recently returned to work after having DC2. My role was already 3 days and I’m finding it hard! OP sometimes somethings got to give. When you have kids there is a sacrifice both sides. It is impossible for your career to continue as is without sacrificing time with your children (which some people are willing to do and some people are not). I think you need to decide which is your main focus now. If career is still at the top of the chain then your DH needs to take more of the sick days. However, there is something to be said for leaning into your new role as a mum. You are now 3 days a week which is only 60% work anyway so why not give it a go in the new role, clock in, do your time and spend the rest of your energy on DC. Even after a year you could get back into your career. Don’t pressure yourself to have it all. It will do you in.

My god, the knives are out this morning.

YANBU. I do not treat my team like this, it would be utterly self defeating, I would lose the skills and goodwill of experienced staff. Employers need to make reasonable adjustments. We are all human.

So if you already have 2 days off per week, then your dh should be doing more sick days than you of the days you both work.