Which of these return to work options will be best?

[peekabooyou]

I need advice.

I am planning on returning to work in September from my mat leave. My baby will be newly 10 months.

I have carried over AL from last year and bank holidays.

Ultimately I want to return on a PT basis, either 0.7 if they’ll allow over 3 days or failing that just 0.6

My options are the following and I just can’t choose. DD will be looked after by my husband or grandparents on my working days.

option a:

• Take accrued annual leave at the end of August in a block of 4 weeks to delay return and get month of full pay. Then 3 days a week from the end of September

option b:

• Work 2 days a week from start of September until February (using 1 day of accrued annual leave each week), then start 3 days from Feb.

Will I value the chunk of time more in full when baby is 10-11 months, or that extra day a week until well into the new year?

Bump :)

Option B - you will appreciate being eased back in.

I took a chunk of full time annual leave before returning to the office part time (0.6wte). My bank balance appreciated 4 or 5 weeks of full time pay!
I don't know how the rules work, I didn't investigate, but if you return part time, are you allowed to carry over the full time hours? Or will they be converted to your new part time equivalent hours of leave? Hope that makes sense.

As far as I know you’re allowed to carry over FTE entitlement until the date of your contract change, so anything I didn’t use in the year before I went off I’ll obviously retain and bank hols will be accrued as normal as my contact is FT until the point of which I return from mat leave

@peekabooyou that's reassuring.
For me, and my job, I would want to get going with 3 days a week rather than work 2 days (as lovely as that would be to have that time with DC). All staff in my work are expected to do a certain amount of training/appraisal /supervision, part time have to do as much as full time so that would impact the amount of work I have to fit in to 2 days rather than 3. I appreciate not everyone has this pressure, but worth considering, if appropriate.

What did you choose in the end? Having the same dilemma at the moment!

I think probably the 2nd option, 2 days a week is so much easier than 3 days a week so think you’ll appreciate being eased back into it. Although I took the full 12 months off with my youngest plus annual leave so wasn’t back at work until she was 13 months which was much better than returning 9 months previously. However I only work 2 days a week now anyway

Stagger it, 100%. That’s what I went for and it’s SO nice!