Asking for part time when offered new job

[Olivetree23]

I’ve been offered a new job. It’s a new role and one a pool of new people in the newly created pool of roles. I want to ask to work part time - do you think I can? I’ve read a few threads on here from 2015 so 8 years ago and the advice was mixed. My husband thinks it’ll annoy them. Does anyone have advice please? It’s a full time (35) role. I could compress that into try o 4 days and need to given childcare availability

I did this and they agreed. But I don't think it would have worked if I hadn't been the only candidate!

It's worth asking, but it's bad form to ask after they've already offered you the job. You should really have told them you need this working pattern beforehand. If they can't do it, you've all been through the recruitment process pointlessly and wasted everyone's time.

When I was job hunting, I asked this question before even applying, and about 75% of full time posts said yes to compressing it into 4 days. It's much more respectful and doesn't waste everyone's time.

The ones that couldn't do it, still wouldn't have been able to do it after I'd had an interview and been offered the job.

I read another post on getting a job advertised full time part time a while ago, the suggestion was ask about a week before closing. If they are struggling to get good applications they may be more open then. I’ve designed a couple of roles that could be 9-3 M-F expecting mums to apply and not sure any were and they took it M-W full time.

To be honest if thats the only reason I would have a good chat with your husband on how you can both work together to facilitate you working full time for the duration your kids are in childcare. Things become massively cheaper when they are in school and you will not then be in the position of being part time trying to get more hours.

Whatever you do, don't listen to TheSnowQueen.

As an employer I'd be incredibly annoyed that you hadn't bought it up at interview. I would tell you to take the hours advertised when you applied or leave it, and the working relationship would already be damaged.

I had an interview for a job and it was full time,
After the interview and speaking they said they don't do hybrid work.
I wasn't prepared to take the job but they called me and offered it. I negotiated my salary higher and asked for a 4 day week which they obliged to.

You've said that you would do the job full time if that was the only option. On that basis, I don't see any harm in asking the question.

It does really annoy me when people wait until the offer stage to ask, if the role has been advertised as full time and they aren't prepared to take it on that basis. That just means that they have massively wasted my time going through a pointless recruitment process, and it totally would put me off interviewing them for any future roles (even part time ones) because of their lack of transparency and basic respect.

I will generally indicate at the advert stage if a role is suitable for PT or jobshare applicants, so if I advertise FT then that's because I need FT. But not everyone does that, so I think it's fine to ask at an appropriate stage in the process.

In your case, OP, you're not going to turn the role down if the answer is no, so ask away. Compressed hours might be your best option if they have a full time workload to cover.

You can ask any stage , but the PP's saying put in a flexible working request, it's just that , a request , they don't have to grant it. Ours are reviewed every 6 months.

I did this asked to have slightly reduced hours and they said yes! No harm in asking.

The job I am in now was a full-time role but I made it clear during interview stage that my preference was part-time. They said it was no problem, and I made sure that it was also clear that I intended to go full-time within a few years (as obviously once part-time, there's no legal right to go back to full-time), and that was also fine.

Some people on here must work for dinosaurs in the way they suggest an employer would react! I don’t think it’s unreasonable to get an offer, weigh it up with your childcare costs etc and realise it may not work and to request some flexibility. They don’t have to accept but they certainly shouldn’t be annoyed about it.

No harm in asking.

Disagree with those saying you should have brought it up at interview. There is still discrimination against PT workers. It’s fine to raise Ts&Cs after offer.

As a recruiting and line manager I wouldn’t agree to a request to do full time hours in 4 days as this is rarely good for either party IME.

I don’t understand why you applied for a full time role when you want part time? As a hiring manager I would expect someone to be up front at the start of the process so it would annoy me tbh.

as people say… it depends on the role. the question is, if it’s a full time role can it be done in part time hours to the level required?

I doubt they would rescind the offer but they could decide not to flex to your need for reduced hours and leave the offer as a full time offer.

Hope it works out. Ps compressing 5 to 4 days is no fun with small children. I found it quite a struggle with the earlier start and later finish time.

its hardly being a dinosaur in expecting someone to be up front at the start of a process. it’s dishonest to apply for something you know you can’t fulfill.

Weighing up with childcare cost, but surely those costs are known up front too?

I think you sound pretty retro tbh @Lifeisapeach

It is absolutely not dishonest. The problem is with dinosaur employers you have to avoid giving them any reason to dismiss you out of hand.

Apply first, chat after is fine. If the advert says 'no flexibility possible' obviously you don't apply.

Many managers have an emotional reason for not offering flexibility, rather than a practical one. Often it boils down to they had to do FT themselves in their early career.

OP was not at all U or ‘dishonest’ not to raise this before being offered the job. Only a small proportion of roles are advertised externally as PT and there is discrimination.

She has said she’ll consider accepting the job FT if the employer declines her request: even if that wasn’t the case people often decline job offers for many reasons.

Oh no I’d definitely ask, they often advertise roles as full time as they assume that’s what most people want but are actually quite happy with part time or to fill position with 2 people. If they really like you they won’t change their mind just because you asked. I usually find employers are really keen to have you or they're not, rarely find they’re feelings are in between

I think it is really valuable for employers to lose their preferred candidate due to not being willing to consider flexibility too. It is all about moving the dial. It gives cause for thought next time they recruit.

Some sectors can't offer flexibility, and that's understood on both sides. But so much is just outdated behaviour, and over time it will change as a result of all these individual conversations.

The recruitment process is expensive.

It would irritate me to have sat across from a candidate and performed the interview on the openly advertised basis of full time and to have asked at the end "do you have any other questions about the role " met with a cheery "No" and then offered it to be asked the question.

So not dinosaur like at all to be annoyed at having time wasted.

And as a recruiter I will paid never let the question prejudice my interview. You can't it's illegal and is run in to problems later if I did.

If I've advertised for 35 hours a week I need someone to do just that (compressed hours are a different discussion and of course have their pros and cons)

And this. Agree there is often (not always) room for negotiation but if there isn't that doesn't make an employer unreasonable

Yes I’ve employed people myself and you need someone who can do the job you need at the end of the day but happy to negotiate if feasible to get the right person

Unless you are extremely carefully programmed AI, all questions, answers and other communication prejudice your interviews.

Interviews are known to be a poor recruitment method due to human biases.

Unless it’s a shift based job, compressed days are out of fashion these days I find. It leads to grudges because any late working or extra effort means that all the rest of the team should be getting the 5th day off but don’t. It can lead to grudges and claims of unfair treatment. Legacy arrangements will remain of course.
I’ve also rescinded an offer when told they could only work until 3.45pm. The job involved working with the US so it didn’t work at all.
So personally I’d ask but suggest either compressed “5 in 4” days - not really expecting it - or just 4 days.

Midnight** absolutely - I was meaning if I'm asked (and if course EVERYTHING is documented) and later turn down a candidate because of that question I then have to prove o wasn't discriminating