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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

I know I am, but how bad is it?

49 replies

Thickskinned · 18/04/2013 20:48

Have name changed for this as am very likely to get flamed (and don't want to out myself).

Before I went on mat leave I worked full time, but returned on 30 hours pw (0.8 WTE). This was 18 months ago. DH and I realised that the finances aren't really stacking up so I decided to go back full time. My manager agreed with this. I will admit that part of the reason is because I was ttc and knew the full time salary would come in handy. I use most of my annual leave on the day I had off anyway so not much change for dd.

I recently had my BFP and will be going on mat leave again at the end of the year. I know my colleagues will think I have only increased my hours for the mat pay (they will be partially right). I'm expecting quite a bit of stick for this!

In my defence, my workload has not changed at all (if anything it has increased) so I could've been FT the whole time hence in effect I have saved money for my employer over the past 18m.

So I'm sure We'll all agree IABU, but how bad is it? Do I deserve everything I get?

PS Does it make any difference if I tell you I work for the NHS?

OP posts:

Sharptic · 18/04/2013 21:12

I wouldn't bat an eyelid if you were my colleague.

Does the NHS have some fantastic maternity package then?

Original poster

Thickskinned · 18/04/2013 21:12

I do feel guilty but not enough to not do it.

Will be returning after mat leave, definitely.

FWIW my boss knew I was ttc.

OP posts:

DrGoogleWillSeeYouNow · 18/04/2013 21:13

The issues it caused when my colleague did it had nothing to do with maternity pay.

We had basically picked up extra work to accommodate her drop to 4 days.

Then came her request to return to full time, followed closely by the announcement that she was pregnant.

Between annual leave, sick leave, carers leave and maternity appointments, which all coincidently fell on the day she didn't work when she was part time, she never really put in a full time week when officially back full time, and we all had to pick up the slack. It just felt like a bit of a piss take.

Original poster

Thickskinned · 18/04/2013 21:14

Worra - wasn't me, but it is obv more commonplace than I thought v

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 18/04/2013 21:15

It wouldn't bother me in the least - except (if I was your manager) as a personnel issue in filling your post.

There are women in the workforce, they get pregnant, so be it.

Conratulations on the pregnancy.

SplitHeadGirl · 18/04/2013 21:15

It is no big deal. The law is the law and you are fully within your rights to do this regardless of what nosy people think and say about it.

Original poster

Thickskinned · 18/04/2013 21:16

NHS mat package is 8 weeks full and 18 weeks half pay. And me extra 0.2 will not break the bank.

DrGoogle - I can assure you there are no extenuating circumstances with this.

OP posts:

DontmindifIdo · 18/04/2013 21:17

But why do you feel guilty? They obviously need someone to do that job full time, if they didn't they'd have turned down your request to go back upto full time. Your boss will have had to justify needing to increase the budgets for his/her team to accomodate this.

It's much better for your colleagues this way. When you go off on mat leave they will have a full time person put in to your job, if yours is a full time job, they can not want you to stay part time even if you can cope with the work load when that means when you go off they will only get a part time person struggling to do a full time job that they are new too.

marriedinwhiteagain · 18/04/2013 21:17

You have done nothing illegal and you might not have conceived quickly. Your managers did not have to approve the application to increase hours. You might have played the sytem a bit but it doesn't strike me as taking the piss.

I have worked part time. I did the same as the full timers but I worked harder to achieve the same results. Just make sure you get your flexible working request in in accordance with procedure before you go back at the end of the mat leave.

What I call taking the piss is getting signed off full duties and getting full time money for part time work tbh and throwing sickie after sickie.

Passmethecrisps · 18/04/2013 21:18

No biggie. Your childbearing years are tiny in comparison to your working years so you will more than make up for it.

I suspect that anyone who feels agrieved at this should actually point their grievance towards poor management of flexible working rather than an individual.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

Snazzynewyear · 18/04/2013 21:19

You had only dropped to 0.8. Employers these days expect what are IMO incredibly high levels of commitment, self sacrifice and willingness to pick up slack, yet will ditch you as soon as it becomes expedient to do so and act surprised if you are upset I don't blame you for looking out for number one. As long as you haven't deliberately dumped on your colleagues - and it doesn't sound like you have - do whatever your contract allows that is in your own best interests.

neontetra · 18/04/2013 21:19

Any woman or man, pregnant or not, has the right to request an increase in hours from their employer. Anyone who feels you lost that right on becoming pregnant should, in my humble opinion, stop discriminating against women and fuck the fuck off. Sorry. I rarely swear.

LizzieVereker · 18/04/2013 21:19

Wouldn't bother me. What you are doing is entirely your prerogative, and your right. Congratulations on your pregnancy, hope you are well.

sunlightonthegrass · 18/04/2013 21:20

I wouldn't care. I once started at a school (teacher) at the same time as another lady and she'd been interviewed for the post in February and arrived clearly heavily pregnant. She worked for two weeks then went on maternity leave and "came back" for the first two weeks in July then the first week in September then was signed off sick until February when her second maternity leave started. She took a year off and then was signed off sick the rest of that year and left! Two full years and four weeks work!

OnwardBound · 18/04/2013 21:20

I really can't understand why your colleagues in a massive organisation like the NHS would have any negative thoughts on this. They don't pay your wages do they?

And you were TTC... so are you meant to put the rest of your life on hold just in case you conceive quickly? It could have gone the other way, you stay PT on the chance you would conceive quickly and subsequently be stuck in limbo if sperm and egg refuse to play ball so to speak, as can and does happen for some unfortunately.

Anyway, it is none of your colleagues concern as to your family planning arrangements and employment contract. For all they know you might have had a contraception failure and pregnancy wasn't planned.

But really it's none of their business so don't give it a moment's thought.

Congratulations on your pregnancy by the way!

Monty27 · 18/04/2013 21:23

OP perfectly understandable imo. You did a practical thing. Particularly as you were pushing the same amount of work out on reduced hours.

Sod your judgy colleagues.

ilovecolinfirth · 18/04/2013 21:29

Wouldn't bother me. Congrats with the pregnancy.x

ExitPursuedByABear · 18/04/2013 21:32

Whatever!

Congratulations

50shadesofmeh · 18/04/2013 21:36

I work in the NHS and I wouldn't think badly of someone who did this, whether you work full or part time is your own business, for all they know you will be returning full time. None of your colleagues business, and management can't prove you planned it.

Original poster

Thickskinned · 18/04/2013 21:41

Thank you. Not the consensus I was expecting! All reasonable arguments too, but I guess there will still be one or two who object!

OP posts:

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 18/04/2013 21:42

don'tmindifIdo. Ime, the NHS don't backfill posts when the post holder is off on maternity leave.

OP - I had a job share after returning from maternity leave with ds1. When she went off on her 2nd period of maternity leave, I was asked if I would increase my hours to cover part of her post. I agreed, and during the period that I was working more hours conceived ds2. By the time I went off on my maternity leave, I have resumed my old hours but my leave pay was calculated during the time that I was working more hours. It happens. We don't have a crystal ball to know how quickly we will conceive each time round, so honestly I wouldn't worry about it.

Congratulations btw!

ananikifo · 18/04/2013 21:48

It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong at all and I wouldn't blame you if I worked with you. I'm just jealous because at my NHS trust, if you reduce your hours you can never get them back.

javabean · 18/04/2013 22:21

So based on a salary of 25k, I calculate that you'll cost your employers an extra £1100 of maternity pay for going from 0.8 to 1.0. Which is hardly anything when compared to your salary and all the other costs to employ you, especially as you're working FT for a number of months before going on leave.

Honestly, don't feel guilty :)

bollockstoit · 19/04/2013 07:23

I wouldn't think anything of it

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