To only work very part time?

Weird take for someone in a management position. Anyway, they’re not interested in solving it by the sound of things so where does that leave you?

@OneJadeSheep it is understandable that colleagues are frustrated but they need to take it up with HR and explain it isn’t working. Where I work, flexible work requests are reviewed to see if they are working. If you can see that the work can’t be done then you know that this is not workable in its current form - perhaps suggest a job share. At senior level such as yours, you need to be honest if it is not working. It is on your employer to some extent but someone should be overseeing how it’s going - you said yourself it isn’t working.

Yes I think you are wrong in thinking that. As a senior member of staff some of this responsibility does fall to you and managing your team's workload (as well as happiness as this might impact productivity) is surely part of your role.
Once you have tried different strategies (which many of us have given suggestions) then you take it higher outlining all the ways you have tried to minimise the reduction in your hours on other staff members.

@OneJadeSheep why don’t you have a conversation with colleagues and explain how part time works? Two days’ work, not five days condensed into two. And they shouldn’t be gossiping and bitching about you - why haven’t you asked them to stop? It sounds like part time doesn’t work for your job so a job share is needed or it needs to revert to full time. Or better processes are needed so that people don’t end up waiting on you to return for example.

If this is your attitude I can understand why they aren’t happy with you.

Or she would be replaced with someone on a lower wage...she is currently 'head of' so I imagine comes with a bigger salary (although she works minimal hours so won't be too high). If she left they could scrap the head of title and just have another team member at the entry salary for the role.

Totally agree with you here, and your other posts.

OP - you are not acting is a way that is consistent with what you describe as a leadership role. And I get a lot of transference from your posts that helps me understand why your colleagues might be annoyed with you.

That’s illogical though, if you are now 0.3 of a role then the 0.7 should be recruited to.

I don’t understand how your employer thinks your job can be done in a third of the time it used to take with no ill effects.

But other than talking to someone, what else do you suggest? I have given you some ideas for free but you are paid to do the job and know what the work involves.

You are very robotic in your responses about how your flexible working was agreed and how it isn't your problem, and you have told them to go to management.
If you are this robotic and impersonal in real life it's no wonder you aren't liked by your colleagues and they gossip about you.

Tell HR.

Ask them to deal with it for you.

I suspect that if the OP were to leave, she wouldn't be replaced, so her "colleagues" would be expected to pick up the work she does in her 2 days. There are many threads about how little people do at work and skiving off when WFH, Do people really think their managers don't notice, they might cut some slack when the economy is booming, but now slack = costs = reduced profit.

Currently the fixed headcount has been reduced by over 60% of a permenant post (before factoring in term time) so they should be recruiting. Not replacing you for the missing hours is the issue and causing the animosity. It is not your fault at all, but equally I csn understand why collegues are annoyed at the situation (unprofessional to talk about you and expect you to change your hours to fix it though)

So what other solutions do you have to offer if a new member of staff isn't going to happen?
You are management! Act like it. Can you reallocate workload, can someone from another department take on some of the tasks?

If this is your general attitude, I'd be pissed off with you as well.

Then there will be even more work with no one to do it, and following this it's unlikely anyone else would be granted it.

Personally I wouldn't want to work with you as you sound very obstructive and unwilling to do anything to help the situation and I see it as poor management. I assume you were promoted before you were ready and now don't know how to manage the conflict as didn't have the experience.

Collegues are right to be annoyed that your hours have been reduced substantially without anyone else being recruited. They should not be annoyed with you personally though.

Sounds like company saving over 3 days a week of your salary and everyone else picking up the slack. They should recruit another part time member of staff.

But what have you actually done other than advise them to speak to someone? Again as I keep saying, you have given the impression you are in a senior role as 'head of' so you should be more pro active.

They aren't suddenly going to stop moaning because the workload still exists! Until something is put in place by some one more senior like yourself of how to address it, then I think they are valid in their annoyance of the increased workload and nothing to compensate for it (extra staff, increased pay).