Re attitude towards working part time

[shebird]

I am a bit just fed up with the attitude of some people when I say I work part time. I sometimes get sarcastic comments from clients or people at work saying 'oh I tried to call this morning but you I believe you don't start until 930' with a tone at implies I'm a complete slacker or comments like 'Oh that must be nice' or ' semi retired then' or ' half day again is it'. Arghhhhhh perhaps I'm being a bit sensitive but there is just no need for these comments.

[Dubjackeen]

I'd just play along, sing dumb. 'Yep, it's great, isn't it'...fake smile.
To hell with what they think. I'd jump at a 4 day week, but not a chance where I am.

[StealthPolarBear]

ah yes but IME colleagues treat you as if you're working - expect you to respond to emails, meet deadlines, pick up the phone (and quite rightly). I'm anti-social so don't see anyone else :o

[justmyview]

If you feel that you're not taken seriously, just try working from home. That's a whole new ball game. No one has any idea if you work flat out long hours, or muck around a bit for sweetie money. They see you at school gates in jeans and make massive assumptions

[StealthPolarBear]

When I went on maternity leave for a year my boss made some comment in a team meeting about "Stealth's paid year off" (not as bad as it sounds, it was in context, can't actually remember how). He knew the T&Cs of maternity pay and although it was better than statutory it was no where near full pay! I had a moment of horror when I realised that was exactly what the rest of the team thought - I quickly corrected him!

Agree about the "leaving early"/"day off" comments too - Fridays (say) are as much a "day off" for PT staff as Saturdays and Sundays are for FT staff (in standard office jobs, I know many people work weekends ;))

[JockTamsonsBairns]

Yes, I used to get this a lot. I changed my working day from 9-5 to 7-3 to fit in with doing school pick ups. I got masses done between 7am and 9am - no colleagues to chat to, phones ringing etc. When I got up to leave at 3 however, I got a daily chorus of "Oh, are you going now?" or "Are you leaving early today?". Um, no, this is my finish time. I think because other people didn't arrive until 9, they didn't get that I'd already done two hours.

[StealthPolarBear]

Fair enough. If it was proportionately the same it would be no less unfair on her as a part timer than the full timers

[AlpacaLypse]

It does seem to make a massive difference if you're only one of several reduced hours workers in a group. I'm so used to everyone with smallish children working part time, that I'm actually quite surprised when I encounter someone doing full time.

[MikeLitoris]

I just smile and say I'd gladly swap of they want my part time wage 3 dc to look after.

I get it on a daily basis and one member of staff in particular has a madsive chip on her shoulder that I have the option to work pt when she didn't when her dc where young.

[MikeLitoris]

I just smile and say I'd gladly swap of they want my part time wage 3 dc to look after.

I get it on a daily basis and one member of staff in particular has a madsive chip on her shoulder that I have the option to work pt when she didn't when her dc where young.

[TheEmpress]

I sometimes point out that I get paid part time...

Most of the time I just smile and act smug about my days off. If they think I spend my days in coffee shops, shopping or lunching, then who am I to burst their bubble?

[hiccupgirl]

I'm lucky to have a part time job I love. But when I first went pt I felt guilty about saying I couldn't do meetings etc on certain days but not anymore. I have no alternative childcare and can't change the days as the nursery is full so I quickly learnt to just say no I can't do that when asked to move my days around.

I often get colleagues saying 'enjoy your days off' on a Thursday but just ignore them now tbh. It's not a day off, it's my non-paidwork day looking after my child.

[breatheslowly]

Someone must be covering my guilt for me as I don't fee at all guilty. I do my job as well as I would do any FT job, possibly better and there is no reason to be with my DD as she has a great time at nursery.

[shebird]

Apparently working mums suffer twice as much guilt as others - guilt for not doing their job well enough because they have to work to fit in looking after children and also guilt for worrying about work when they should be with their kids. And added to this some snide comments about having an easy life or 'only' working part time no wonder I'm going grey

[Metalgoddess]

I get comments about part time working too, I do 2 days a week and get asked why I am even bothering to work at all! I just make the point about getting part time wages. I don't mind the "enjoy your days off" comments though if genuine. I don't let it bother me too much, I will do what suits me and my family. I think the negative attitudes must be fuelled by resentment or jealousy. I never work over my hours so it's great for my dcs and childcare. I intend to never work full time again as long as I am in a position to do this.

[jammiedonut]

I work in service industry, have gone back to work full-time (48hrs+) and still get snide comments because I expect to leave at the end of my 13 hr shift and not stay on to 'help out'. You can't win either way to be honest. It's especially irritating when your colleagues do feck all and stay late (to drink and watch others work) but have the cheek to hinT you're not a team player because you want to get home to your children.

[LaGuardia]

This would only happen in an office environment. If you worked actual shifts in a service industry, people would just be glad to see you and then accept the time has come for you to go home. Office work is extremely over-rated imo.

[PoirotsMoustache]

My response is always 'Yes, but don't forget I get paid part-time wages -let me know if you'd like to swap at any time', said with a smile.

[Callani]

Stealth, my colleague works condensed hours (or something) in 3 week days but is always in by 7 and leaves well past 6, so is more or less doing 35 hours in 3 days rather than the 24 hours she's contracted for.

We tend to get in at 8.30 and leave after 6 so are only doing an extra 6/7 hours extra a week. It's frustrating anyway (although it does mean I miss the rush hour) but I think that as she's doing an extra 45% hours, and we're doing an extra 20% hours it's harder on her.

[BusinessUnusual]

Permanently, if that's said in exactly the same tone as "enjoy your weekend" or "enjoy your holiday " then that's fair, I think that's not the case for the posters here..

[TempusFuckit]

Most of my colleagues are fine with my hours, I think. My main issue is my boss playing me off against my job share partner. That's fun.

But still worth it for my two days at home with the kids ... That's what I hold onto most.

[Permanentlyexhausted]

I do think you're all being a bit oversensitive.

I also get the "Enjoy your day off" comments and it doesn't really occur to me to be offended by them. It is my day off even though I've earned it by already working my full weekly hours (compressed hours so full time but only 4 actual days).

[kaffkooks]

I think some people without children sometimes say something without realising. I work with a lovely colleague who is a lot older but has chosen not to have children. She often says "have a good day off tomorrow." It used to really piss me off but I don't think there is any bad feeling in her comment, she's just being polite and she doesn't realise that a day "off" for me is very different to a day off for her.

[sittingbythepoolwithenzo]

I'm another part time worker who gets frequent digs at work.

I've given up caring. I am productive, and my fee income is pretty much up there with the full timers. As my dh says, no one actually works "full time". They work 40 hours, or 37.5 bours. Or, in my case, 20 hours.

[breatheslowly]

I was allowed to work my PT hours because apparently I seemed like the kind of person who could fit a FT job into my proposed hours. But I genuinely only work my PT hours. I might not muck about on the internet as much as some people and perhaps I work more quickly than some people (though I find that the pace of my work is dictated by the crappy network speed). I would be bored if I worked FT hours with the same amount of work to do.

[GeoffLeopard]

I would reiterate much of the comments on here. Though will add that angrily whispering really awful swearwords in the toilets helps me wind down after such comments...