To think 'Full time' should mean less hours?

In my post, I mentioned that some parts of the public sector are stretched. You're obviously in a bit that is. There are parts that aren't. One of my friends who'd spent her whole career in the private sector moved to a full time job in her council. She said she managed to get her work completed in two days max per week and was told to slow down as she was making others look bad. That is the problem with some parts of the public sector. I'm sorry you're so stretched in your role though.

30 hours has always been classed as part time. 40 hours is full time and anything over is overtime. If you aren't happy with your wage you should look for another job. You should not expect the entire working vocabulary to change to suit your needs.

I work in the public sector. I could earn more in private. I've worked in private industry, I didnt like it. Its all about choices. You dont like it, u can move. If u work 37 hours in public sector it would be more in private industry i think. Its about what you value.

This is what I would worry about if AI can do some of your work, will it eventually be able to do all if it....or if AI can do 20% of everyones work will they make 20% of staff redundant...leaving the remaining staff in the same position (or worse)

I think it’s a great idea op.
I know I will decently not be working full time aged 67. I just won’t be able to keep trudging to work 5, sometimes 6 days a week.
Unfortunately it’s all about how much an employer can squeeze out of its workforce. It’s never been about the welfare of the common woman, ever.

So you are suggesting working 30hrs a week for 37hrs worth of wages, and let AI do the other 7 hours for free .....

If thats the case why not give all the hours to AI and u be out of a job, cos this is what will happen in the future ...

Some organisation's have started to do this as part of a trial. I know people who work for them and they absolutely love it. I totally agree with you and hope there comes a time where this happens in my place of work.

@Allergictoironing the biscuits were for very important visitors. Not staff.

You mean you didn't have to pay for your own biscuits? Can't have been public sector then, we have to pay for our own if we want them. Same for things like Christmas parties, and of course extravagances like private medical insurance are the responsibility of the employee if we want it. In fact, my employer can't afford to pay for things considered essentials for ability to work effectively.

Things that have impacted our ability at work over the last few months have included yet another bout of strong sewage stench coming up through the floor in parts of my building, having to move a team due to leaks in the parapet sealing meaning water was running down the walls and fire doors and creating large puddles in the office, ait con not working in the summer, heating breaking in the winter, the network hardware for the building being so old that we frequently lose connectivity or it's so slow as to be unworkable, the rather creaky 10 year old system we use going down for a few hours a couple of times most weeks. And of course it taking around a year to recruit when we were 1.5 people down in a team that should have been 5 people and was down to 3.5 - this was partly due to there being a recruitment freeze for 5 months. I think the trigger for them to finally recruit was mainly because 2 people went off for 6 weeks during that time due to stress.

Our specialist staff spend a lot of time doing visits, usually in their own cars. When HMRC upped the mileage rate recently due to the massive rise in fuel costs, my employer kept it at the old rate which is about 10p per mile less.

Yeah. I said it "should follow" but sadly I know you're right. Where that will end up, I think can't be good. No wonder people are rioting.

Yes, AI will reduce workloads. But that means less jobs, not that they’ll be paying people the same to work less hours as well as using AI.

It’s an incredibly common grammatical error. I’m not sure why really, it’s a very simple distinction but almost no one gets it right. I’m busy teaching my 5yo the difference because it drives me slightly insane.

Ah yes - AI social workers, AI street cleaners, AI police, AI road maintenance workers, AI dustbin men, AI answering the phone when you have an enquiry that isn't on the standard list, AI teachers, AI health visitors, AI public health and environment inspectors, AI building maintenance, AI SEN teachers, AI carers...

Council tax rises are largely due to more and more functions being devolved to local authorities without all the costs being devolved, and to the general costs in things the local authorities need to spend money on. An example of this is housing; there is no money to build council housing so they are dependant on rental of private housing, this has gone up significantly in the last few years.

If I work full-time at minimum wage I don't have to sign on to receive Universal Credit. If they drop the hours that define full-time I will then have to sign on, as I'll be below their earning threshold.

I’m a county council employee and have qualifications coming out of my ears yet the minimum wage has gone up and the unskilled pay is nearly the same as a skilled workers pay. The pay is shite for what’s expected and every year we have an appraisal which adds to your job load and you don’t get to move up a pay scale of sorts. The pension scheme used to be ok once upon a time and now shite. We are so short staffed that I often do things above and beyond my pay grade, now it’s an expectation and now part of my job, yet they badger why I haven’t had time to do everything. I quietly quit years ago. I say no to extras I don’t get credit or pay for, refuse to stay after my contracted hours and I don’t get in 15 minutes earlier, I start on my actual start time and leave dead on 4pm. I was late to the party on this as most are already doing it in my department.

Hopefully you're not in a role that demands a good level of literacy. No, it should not mean "less hours". Less time, perhaps, but that would be FEWER hours. Back to primary school for you!

Full time in my workplace is 40 hours across 4 days. It’s great to have that day off during the week. It does however balance with the fact that we work in childcare so are only paid minimum wage or just above. 7.30am-6pm (but actually 7.20-6.10 roughly) with only 30 minutes break is very full on.

Full time in my job is 40 hours. I would give my right arm to have 3 extra hours per week so I could actually take a lunch break or go pick up my kids from school one day per week. I find it extremely difficult fitting 40 hours of work in around two young children, especially when childcare is only 9 until 5:30 and it’s at least 15 minutes away so basically I need to be working every minute that my kids are in school / childcare. A 37 hour working week would make such a difference to my quality of life but the pay cut would be unsustainable atm

*fewer hours (or less time)

If they did that were I am I'd be working about 20 hours a week by now

Presumably at organisations that do this pt would be fewer hours too. So 4/5 would be 24 hours not 29.

That OP’s suggestion of less hours could be a viable solution.

Any thoughts on what happens to part time workers? Do we just suck up the shitty wages?