Judged for working only 30hours a week!

You need lots of little mantras in your head, so that you can ignore anyone that says anything like this.

i like - people who mind don’t matter, and people who matter don’t mind. And, don’t take criticism from someone from whom you wouldn’t seek advice.

but don’t forget - it’s brilliant to be able to work 30 hrs. It gives you headspace, your kids don’t have to go into kids club (but can if they want), your career doesn’t stall. It’s a great way of working (though sometimes you get the stress of not enough time at home plus not enough time at work). You can expect others to envy the choices you’ve made to get into that position. If it’s right for you, and your family, that’s all that matters.

Just reply 'jealousy is an ugly trait' Or 'why does my working hours bother you so much?'

Move to Europe and you will be an out performer on those hours! Ignore comments and do you. It’s nobody’s bloody business.

I wouldn’t. You don’t have to justify yourself to others.

Stop worrying what other people think of you. Just smile and look smug.

I work about 16 hours a week and my kids don’t need looking after any more (they’re 17 and 19). I try to be vague when people ask about my job/hours because some are judgy. I absolutely could work full-time, but I don’t want to and I don’t have to 😬

But then I don’t expect to retire as early as many of my FT working acquaintances because my pension is not as impressive as theirs, so I expect the judgy ones will feel much better when they’re ten years into their retirement and I’m still working 😂

Why do you care? So long as you pay your bills? I work 21 hours and I don't have kids,

Honestly I think they are just jealous. I work part time and it gets on my nerves when people ask me if I'm going home to "relax". Urm no I have a school and nursery run 🙄 I feel very privileged to be able to do so but I am not just going home to put my feet up!

I would reply to not so nice comments with exactly this.

Are you sure they judge you? if my son gets invited to a birthday party on a school holiday weekday from 11 to 1, my answer is “we can’t come, i work full time”. Similar for 10am coffee meetings, 3pm playdates etc.
Not judging, its a fact.
If school asks for people coming in at 3pm to help with something, that is ok for somebody not working or working parttime, but not me.
After school activities from 3:30 are ok for parttimers, but not me.
No judgement- you do you - but a fact.

This is where the laughing reaction would've come in handy 😄! I'd do this!

I get this too, I work 4 days instead of 5 so 30 hours a week with 1 day off. The comments I get do my head in and I always remind my colleagues I have the same expectations to meet and targets to achieve and same workload I had to do over 5 days and I have a 20% pay cut.

I do the same - 32 hrs but spread over a week and have dropped the fifth of my wages. I remind anyone that says anything that they could do it too if they wanted to drop that much a month. For me (for now ) it’s worth it and when my son goes to secondary I may reevaluate but I’ve loved it.

I work 30 hrs and full timers at my work are on 35 hrs so there isn’t much difference apart from they are in the building for 2 hrs more than me as they take an hours lunch. I have had a few snide comments from one colleague but last time she said it I just told her I didn’t need to work full timers hours. Yeah it was a bit bitchy but she’s commented a few times about it and I needed to shut her up.

You do you, ignore them. As long as you're not moaning at people who are working full time about how you wish you could afford the x,y,z that they have

THIS!!!!

This comment use to really get to me when my children were younger and needed me, I was working 30hrs and got called part timer blah blah blah.
I said yes and I am only paid for those hours so 🤷

Ask them when they are going to come and look after your children so you can work more...

My family used to make snarky comments about me working part time because I only worked 3 days most weeks, 4 occasionally. The fact they were long days, I averaged 37.5 hours per week over a 3 month period (hence the occasional 4 day week) was irrelevant. I was also a single parent.

Whatever you do will be wrong!

I would imagine they are insecure and feeling the need to avoid a silence, say something obvious.

They probably aren’t judging you.

However either way it’s about them and not you.

YABU to be bothered about what they think.

I’d reply “I know. It’s great”.

Ignore them, it's because I had no family nearby that I have worked part time hours when my children are small including two double shifts on a weekend, so I could care for them Monday to Friday or working nightshift and now working term time 30 hours a week as well now they can go to after-school club. At one point, we were so broke, I only owned one pair of trousers yet there were horrible school mums gossiping about me saying I am clearly well off because I don't even work and I'm always there to pick up and drop off, and my husband was such a nice man to allow me this luxury. We couldn't afford for me to work full time!

People will always gossip and they don't care to be corrected so just completely ignore them and you do the best for your family .

I also work 30h. It used to be so that I could deal with the kids, truthfully they can sort themselves out these days so it’s because I want to. Or rather don’t want to work more than 30h.

honestly never had this

smile and carry on with your day.
no need to justify your choices to anyone.

Lean into it, say 'yeah, it's great. You've inspired me to reduce my hours even more, life is for enjoying'