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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not want to give someone on my team part time hours so they "can recover from the weekend"

149 replies

ljwales · 15/04/2015 17:24

I've got a member of my team who wants to go part time, single and late 20s and no children. He's put forward a proposal that includes wanting more time to relax after busy weekends and to go away on more long weekends.

I can't legally stop this as people of the same role do it part time, but aibu to think this isn't very professional?

OP posts:

ifgrandmahadawilly · 15/04/2015 17:44

YABU and very judgy! Wouldn't everyone work part time if they could survive on the money?

LePetitPont · 15/04/2015 17:44

It's not just parents who have the monopoly on flexible working / reduced hours. More time to spend travelling sounds like a great idea to me! As long as the business case stacks up, you would be most unreasonable to deny the request just because you deem the use of his own time unworthy... Glad you're not my manager.

flabbyducks · 15/04/2015 17:45

Sorry , just to clarify , if you don't work Monday's for example and there is a bank holiday Monday , your employer has to give you a day off in lieu ???

Original poster

ljwales · 15/04/2015 17:46

Well I took it to be unprofessional as hes pretty much saying I get so drunk and party so much I want Mon and Tue off to recover.

Going from 5 days to 3 days.

Its a professional job (design based) and I know he will still have a big disposable income as is mortgage free.

To be fair he has put a reasonable business case forward, I'm just focusing in on the personal reasons.

Will have to employ more people and that's fine, although agency fees are expensive.

OP posts:

ShouldIworryornothelp · 15/04/2015 17:46

What used to annoy me was older ladies near retirement 'hogging' the part time hours and booking leave in the school holidays when they had no school age children meaning parents had to work full time or leave.

SolidGoldBrass · 15/04/2015 17:48

OP's attitude sums up a lot of what's wrong with the world today - employers think employees are property and should have no life or priorities beyond the job.
If the line of business is something that genuinely requires commitment (eg emergency services/education/childcare) and benefits the community then it's perhaps not unreasonable to expect a higher level of enthusiasm from employees, but if it's bog standard office shit or working in a call centre or something, then anyone who wants to spend as little time as possible doing it is displaying a lot more common sense than those who just grind through the day.
If your organisation can manage it without it having a negative impact on other staff then say yes with a big smile and mind your own business about how he spends his free time.

Marmaladedandelions · 15/04/2015 17:48

But I didn't read that request as partying to be honest - long weekends indicated travel to me or a hobby he is very involved with :)

SolidGoldBrass · 15/04/2015 17:50

Then you are the one being unreasonable, if you only want to refuse for personal reasons. Are you this much of a catsbumface in your non-work life?

BigBoobiedBertha · 15/04/2015 17:51

Do you know what he does at the weekend? Perhaps he has a time consuming hobby, perhaps even something that can earn him some money. You say he wants to recover but that doesn't necessarily mean he is going on some enormous bender every weekend. He could even have serious carer responsibilities but can have some down time during the week when he can hand over his responsibilities to professionals. Who knows? He doesn't have to tell you. Presumably he isn't on some major career path or particularly work focussed. Some of us aren't.

Decide if you can accommodate his request within your team, but it isn't really for you to judge how he lives his life or what he does when he isn't at work.

Andylion · 15/04/2015 17:51

Well I took it to be unprofessional as hes pretty much saying I get so drunk and party so much I want Mon and Tue off to recover.

I'm with you, OP. Will it hurt him professionally, in the long run?

DragonsCanHop · 15/04/2015 17:51

It isn't very professional to work part time?

part time work has proven to be very efficient, they don't have time to draw tasks out, stand about chatting and I've found them to be very grateful of being given the opportunity to work hours that suit their life choices, they are happy employees!

It also allows another person to be employed part time where they may not have been able to before.

It's not just parents that need suitable hours.

NerrSnerr · 15/04/2015 17:52

Surely it doesn't matter what he does on his days off? What if he spends all Monday and Tuesday hungover (even though I read it that he wants to travel more) as long as he does his job well when he's at work.

SolidGoldBrass · 15/04/2015 17:53

Actually, unless he has said, specifically, that he spends his weekends partying, you are being hugely unprofessional to make assumptions like that. (And even if he does do that sort of thing, it's still his business rather than yours, as long as his performance is good when he's in the workplace.)

PerspicaciaTick · 15/04/2015 17:54

It's none of the OP's business if it does hurt him professionally long term. That is his decision to make. All the OP should be concerned with is the business impact.

Spartak · 15/04/2015 17:54

Why not? Children are a lifestyle choice, as it long weekend and the beach and in the pub. I'd work part time if I could afford it.

HagOtheNorth · 15/04/2015 17:54

I know a number of people: friends, relatives and co-workers, who have heavy weekends because they climb, act, are musicians, serial marathon runners, enjoy weekends on the continent....all sorts of life-enhancing things.
They'd all love to work part-time and many do.
OP, most of the threads I've encountered you on have been grumbly and grumpy ones. Perhaps you need to go part-time and rediscover a positive attitude.

Pippidoeswhatshewants · 15/04/2015 17:55

It looks like you have no reason to deny his request other than your disapproval and jealousy, therefore YABU.

LadyCatherineDeTurd · 15/04/2015 17:55

Yabu to think its unprofessional. I would not like to work for someone who had that attitude. It wouldn't BU to refuse on business grounds though, you're not obliged to facilitate part time- though I see you've not ruled out accepting.

OnlyLovers · 15/04/2015 17:56

'employers think employees are property and should have no life or priorities beyond the job.'

Agreed! Isn't it more professional, in a way (assuming he is going to use his days off to recover from hangovers) to arrange his working time so that the hangover doesn't impact the quality of his work?

I think you're a bit out of order 'focusing in on the personal reasons.' I think the poor bloke was just being honest; bet he didn't expect to be judged quite so harshly on his personal life.

asmallandnoisymonkey · 15/04/2015 17:56

Can't believe some of the responses on here. If he wants to work part time, and there's no business reason not to then why shouldn't he?
If the reason was that he had a more acceptable (to you) way of spending his time on a weekend that still left him tired (eg cycling or rock climbing) then would that be ok?
Stop judging his choices, it's not your place to do that and it comes across as sanctimonious and very bloody cheeky. You don't OWN him, as a pp said - he's allowed a life.

HagOtheNorth · 15/04/2015 17:56

'Are you this much of a catsbumface in your non-work life?'

Missed this SGB.

Original poster

ljwales · 15/04/2015 17:56

No I don't know what he does at the weekend, I'm not that nosey!

Only way it will really hurt is that the team budget will have to be spent on recruiting and that is tight at the moment.

Its quite annoying as he was previously a very work focused person (worked in the city for 5 years in a high pressure job) I expected him to be the same when I employed him. It now turns out he's seeking to become "semi retired" and apparently this was always his plan once he got to 30

OP posts:

BigBoobiedBertha · 15/04/2015 17:56

My bet, seeing it is a design job, is that he is doing work on the side and thinking about striking out of his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets this part time working and is gone within the year.

Why is part time working unprofessional? Work isn't the be all and end all but you can still do your job well even working part time.

Lottapianos · 15/04/2015 17:59

My big career ambition is to spend less time at work

I have no children either and if I could afford it, I would be asking for part time hours like a shot. I don't see any problem with his request

Justmuddlingalong · 15/04/2015 18:00

Good for him! Semi retired by 30. Sounds like he works to live, not lives to work.

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