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Original poster

Best part time days?

30 replies

Sunny8753 · 01/07/2022 01:23

Hi all. I’m soon to be starting back work from maternity leave, going part time, 3 days a week. I can pick which days I want off. I was wondering if there are some days that are more advantageous than others? For example, if your regular day off was a Monday, and most bank holidays are Mondays, does that mean you would lose the bank holiday, or could have it another day?

I will be chatting this through with my employer, but don’t want to be talked into something that will benefit them but not me, without me realising! Any advice from anyone who’s part time would be appreciated! Thank you :)

OP posts:

Clarefromwork · 01/07/2022 01:38

I have recently gone back part time (3 full days) and have Monday and Tuesdays off. We do get something back for bank holidays, I can’t remember how it works but might be worth checking your holiday policy.

I went for those days as I felt the beginning of the week always felt abit more manic, I don’t mind working Fridays as it always seems more calmer and alot of other people seem to be off so less busy where I work.

I definitely like having the 2 days off together and tagged onto a weekend, makes such a nice difference having a long weekend (although I am still constantly tired looking after my kid on those days!)

Autienotnaughtie · 01/07/2022 03:41

Where I work bank hols are pro rata so say you are working mon, Tue, wed, 7 hours a day so 21 hours. A bank hol mon I would only be entitled to 4 (ish) hours pay. So if Monday was my normal working day I'd either lose 3 hours pay or have to top my hours up from holiday allowance. Which over the year would be nearly 2 days of holiday allowance.

For that reason I opted to work weds, thurs, Fri.

Micemice · 01/07/2022 04:16

Worked many a pt role and definitely from my experience tues, we’d, fri I’d the best option! DEFINITELY NOR MONDAY!!
I have to work a Monday but and I only get 3/5 of the bank hol allowance as pro eats however more that 3/5 of the bank holidays fall on Mondays so I need to use my tiny annual leave to make the difference.my job share gets 2/5 of the bank holidays allowance to use when they want, as they are off Mondays anyway!

Jenjenn · 01/07/2022 04:40

I did Tue, wed, thr as it was least disruptive in terms of not being in for meetings and my childcare was available those days. My employer gives an extra day in the annual leave allocation if you don't have the benefit of a bank holiday on the day itself.

MinnieMountain · 01/07/2022 07:00

I got given Tuesday-Thursday. It works well in terms of weekends away and I like getting my hours done in a block.
You should get pro-rata days added for bank holidays, which you have to use if a bank holiday falls on your work day (e.g. I had to use one for the Jubilee Thursday).

ChimChimeny · 01/07/2022 07:06

My bank holiday allowance is rolled into my normal annual leave so even though I don't work mondays I get a proportion of the allowance which I can use any time. As there are 4 bank holiday mondays I essentially get an extra week holiday a year

So.it depends how your company do it

Popcorn77 · 01/07/2022 07:10

I work Tue, wed & thurs
means on a weekend I can get everyone else back to school and have a day to prep for the week (batch cook, sort food, tidy up, change beds) and then I get a day at the end to get everything in order so we can relax more at weekend. Most of my friends who are off one day are off on a fri so i can often meet someone for coffee or at gym/go for a walk….

and weekends are useful as i can alwsys have long ones without needing holiday

work wise it seems to work

Kinsters · 01/07/2022 07:13

If this were me I think I'd work Monday and then Wednesday to Thursday so have Tuesday and Friday as my off days. I guess it depends what your job is but I think that if I took 4 days off in a row ie (Fridays and Mondays as days off) then work would really pile up.

20viona · 01/07/2022 07:19

When I went back off Mat leave I worked Mon tues wed and I loved it. You feel the benefit of all the bank holidays too and it's a nice long stretch to be off.

ThreeRingCircus · 01/07/2022 07:24

Most places give you a pro rata allowance for bank holidays so to maximise your leave I'd always advise that you do not work Monday as you can then use those on another day. If you work Mondays you have to take all the bank holiday Mondays out of your allowance whereas if you don't you're off anyway then can use your allowance on another day of your choice.

I'd say to maximise leave I'd usually recommend Tue, Wed, Thu but I actually work Wed, Thu, Fri as Fridays are often quieter and feel a nice day to work. I've done a combination of things in the past and definitely prefer having my three days all in a row then a block of four days off.

GreatCrash · 01/07/2022 07:29

At my workplace the bank holiday allowance is pro rated. That sounds like it wouldn't matter either way, but as pp says above it's better not to work Mondays because then you have to top up bank holidays with your annual leave.

However, on the flip side of that, it's nice not to work on Fridays because more people tend to be off then (so you can meet friends for coffee etc if they also have the day off) and also more school events tend to be on a Friday (sharing assembly etc). I didn't want to work three days in a row and let my inbox pile up, so I worked Mon Wed Thurs and bit the bullet over the bank holidays.

Now I work 4 days so every day except Friday.

MagpiePi · 01/07/2022 07:31

I work Tuesday to Thursday because of the bank holidays. I get pro rats leave allowance and not working on Mondays means I get to use that leave when I want. In effect I get an extra two weeks!

Also, after years of working this pattern, I still get a small thrill on Sunday night knowing I don't have to get up for work in the morning.

Bunnycat101 · 01/07/2022 07:34

Don’t work Mondays. It works out much better to have the bank holiday allowance instead and gives more flexibility.

with 0.6ft you should get 4.8 bank holiday days (assuming 8 bank holidays). For 2023 6 bank holidays are on a Monday so you’d have to use some annual leave to cover them.

if you worked wed, thurs, Friday you’d have 1 bank holiday to cover so would have 3.8 days to use flexibly.

BackToTheTop · 01/07/2022 07:36

My days off were Thursday and Friday. I'd spend Thursday food shopping and cleaning the house, Friday I'd batch cook and meet some of my mummy friends and that left the weekend to be a weekend, and full up with adulting

Geneticsbunny · 01/07/2022 07:36

The other good reason not to work Mondays is all the bloody staff training days which you forget to put in your calendar and then have to do childcare for!

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 01/07/2022 07:41

I like to have a break mid week to catch up on home stuff and take a work breather so I’d work Monday Tuesday Friday. The good thing about working on a Friday for me is that the roads are much quieter so no traffic to work, and parking is a lot easier at work.

FishcakesWithTooMuchCoriander · 01/07/2022 07:42

My manager is PT she was doing 3.5 days tue-Thus plus Friday AM but has decided to go to 4 days Mon-Thurs. A big part of her reasoning was that she was finding Tuesdays really tough. We’d have spent Monday ‘catching up’ with stuff and she’d be coming in on Tuesday trying to do the same. She just felt like she was always a bit behind.

almost all the PT people in my team choose to have Fridays off.

Bunnycat101 · 01/07/2022 07:47

Geneticsbunny that is also very true. Our inset days this year have been Mondays largely. Also Fridays can be useful.

Op when I did 0.6 I did tue, wed, Thur which maximised useful days but I found the period from Thur to tue too long to be away if things were kicking off. I also found those days very full on as always in meetings with no chance to do actual work. If I was going to do it again I’d work Tue, Wed and Friday as Friday seems to be a quieter day. Depends on the nature of your job though. If shift based I’d do tue-Thur.

reluctantbrit · 01/07/2022 07:59

I work Mon-Thur (or Mon-Wed for a while). I prefer it as it means I start the week properly, a BH Monday always throws me off my schedule.

I don't have to use any leave work extra for a BH, I have them off like anyone else.

A BH on my non-working day like Good Friday or if Christmas/NY is on a Friday means I get an extra day annual leave.

It therefore means you have to check carefully what your employer puts in your contract.

InTheNightWeWillWish · 01/07/2022 08:24

My non-working day will be a Friday when I go back to work. It does mean I’ll have to use annual leave to cover Monday bank holidays but on most bank holidays I’d use a day of annual leave on the Friday before to make it a long weekend, so it isn’t much different in that respect. Fridays will work for me as my parents are more likely to take a Friday off and if we are away for the weekend, I can get prepped for that. I’ve also done compressed hours with a Wednesday as a non-working day which worked well as you never had too long between the weekend and non-working day so stuff didn’t pile up either at work or at home.

balalake · 01/07/2022 08:26

I work four days but have Monday off. Seems to be more respected and no-one tries to persuade me to make an exception, than if I had chosen Friday.

There is a formula that means I do not lose out re bank holidays.

Cuwins · 01/07/2022 08:36

I'm going back in the new year and want to work 3 days, not sure if that will be allowed yet and if it is if I will have a choice on what days. But assuming I do then I'm torn- 1 day will have to be wed for childcare. I could work tues/wed/thurs and have long weekends easily or I could work wed/thurs/Fri- Friday is often a nicer/more relaxed day at work, but the disadvantage of both of those is I would be contractually obliged (obviously paid) to come in for inset days which are nearly always Mondays so would involve having to sort extra childcare for them. If I work Monday/Tues/wed then I would avoid that as I would have childcare on a Monday anyway.

skippy67 · 01/07/2022 12:46

When I worked a 3 day week, i did Tues Weds Thursday. I work 4 days now, with Mondays off.

mycatisannoying · 01/07/2022 17:48

Until recently, I had a Wednesday off. I loved it, as it meant I never worked more than two days on the trot.

Original poster

Sunny8753 · 02/07/2022 00:21

Thank you everyone that had taken the time to reply! I’m glad I posted now as you’ve all been so helpful. That’s really interesting about the not working a Monday thing, because of having to use annual leave. I didn’t realise that and am definitely going to take that piece of advice :-)

OP posts:

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