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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
iK8 · 15/04/2015 18:00

Thank fuck for people like this guy! The more people who request flexible working just because the more acceptable and normal working flexibly becomes and the easier it will be for parents/carers who need to work fewer hours to do so. The more normal we can make it to work flexibly the greater protection we give those groups who are opting to do so by necessity rather than choice. And that has to be a very good thing!

It's actually a really good way of generating more jobs too :)

HagOtheNorth · 15/04/2015 18:03

Have you read the thread, monkey? Most responses are saying YABU.

asmallandnoisymonkey · 15/04/2015 18:04

Did I say the whole thread was talking shite? No, I said some of the responses. Jesus.

ssd · 15/04/2015 18:04

good for him, sounds like he has a nice full life that isnt revolving around his workplace

why on earth would you judge him for that op?

or are you secretly jealous?

PercyGherkin · 15/04/2015 18:05

What everyone else has said.

Flabbyduck - part-timers are entitled to the same benefits and holiday, pro-rated. So if there's 8 bank holidays in a year, and he's working 80% of the week, that means he's entitled to 80% of 8 paid days bank holiday (6.4 days - probably rounded up to 6.5). Each year the employer then has to do a calculation to work out on which days of the week the bank holidays fall, and whether those are on working or non-working days. If they fall on days he would be in the office usually, eg Good Friday and whenever Christmas and NY fall each year, then he will be paid for those days. The remainder of his 6.5 days entitlement he would get as additional days of holiday.

The opposite situation is where say you've got someone who works Mon-Wed every week, Thursdays and Fridays off - so entitled to 4.8 days of paid bank holiday. Depending on how Christmas and NY fall, they may find that only Good Friday falls on a day they would not normally work. In that case, they'd probably find that they were paid for 4.8(5, if employer rounds up) days of bank holidays, and had a further two bank holidays where they were not required to work, but were unpaid.

asmallandnoisymonkey · 15/04/2015 18:05

I'm actually glad there's a load of sense here and I agree with the majority of posters. Is that ok Hag?

AlternativeTentacles · 15/04/2015 18:06

Anyone can ask for flexible working, for any reason, as of last year (or was it 2014?).

Last year WAS 2014.

HagOtheNorth · 15/04/2015 18:06
Grin
Unexpected · 15/04/2015 18:07

I think it's great that he can do this! You admit you have no idea what he does with his weekends so you are being unfairly judgemental in thinking he needs to take time out to recover from partying and getting drunk. He might be a very dedicated sportsman and need the extra time to relax or to travel back from competitions? Getting drunk might be bottom of his list of priorities!

Either you can accommodate his request to work part-time or you can't. If you can't accommodate then don't and explain why, if you can, then focus on getting someone else to fill the remaining time. As budget is tight for recruiting, ask him and all his colleagues to make a real effort to network and use their own contacts to come up with some possible candidates, or get onto LinkedIn and do some free research!

asmallandnoisymonkey · 15/04/2015 18:08

Why thank you, very kind Grin

Original poster
ljwales · 15/04/2015 18:09

I'm not jealous at all, good on him if he's financially secure. Just a bit annoyed, I did ask him when I was interviewing where he saw himself in the future and he mentioned nothing about wanting to retire at 30!

OP posts:
kippersmum · 15/04/2015 18:11

You have no idea what he does at weekends! He could be doing serious training for a sports event or doing charity work for the homeless that involves walking the street all night every weekend night looking for people to help. Or he could be a closet raver & ingesting vast quantities of alcohol & drugs.

It is none of your business. He has been honest with you. The fact that he has been this upfront makes me think he probably doesn't have much to hide, he just wants a good work / life balance. Don't we all?

asmallandnoisymonkey · 15/04/2015 18:11

He doesn't HAVE to tell you what his plans are - he may not even have decided until the point where he asked. He's allowed to do that - you're not his keeper.
You're being quite unreasonable in your view about this, OP.
It's like you feel personally affronted by his plans - sorry, but running a business you have to employ humans, not automatons - and they you know, live life. Which may not be the way you live it, but that's the beauty, we're all different.

BigBoobiedBertha · 15/04/2015 18:15

Yes, but you wouldn't have given him the job if he said he was going to retire at 30 would you. Of course he wouldn't say. Perhaps he hadn't really thought it was a viable choice before the law changed last year.

museumum · 15/04/2015 18:18

Bit of assumption to think he's out partying. People I know who need a bit more weekend are serious marathon runners, hikers or other sports people.

museumum · 15/04/2015 18:18

My Ifa plays semi pro rugby and needs time to travel to games.

SolidGoldBrass · 15/04/2015 18:20

People are allowed to change their minds and priorities FFS.

However, if your budget doesn't allow for employing someone else to cover the days he isn't working, then that is a valid business reason to refuse his request (though this may, of course, mean that he resigns.) If you decide it can't be done on valid business grounds fair enough, just try not to be a prick about telling him the answer's no and keep your opinions about how other people spend their non-work time to yourself.

OnlyLovers · 15/04/2015 18:23

People are not obligated at interviews to fess up to possibly wanting kids in the future and therefore parental leave; so why do you think this guy should have mentioned his ideas about wanting to retire at 30?

HagOtheNorth · 15/04/2015 18:24

So, he didn't mention it at interview. But now having worked for you for a while, he wants to retire at 30?
Hmmmm.

RandomMess · 15/04/2015 18:24

So long as he's not self-employed in the same business...

Disenchanted90 · 15/04/2015 18:24

If he can afford to reduce his hours then frankly whether you approve of his reasoning or not is irrelevant.

VivaLeBeaver · 15/04/2015 18:27

I've just dropped my hours so I can spend more time cycling. I want a better work life balance and don't need the money of full time work.

You're a long time dead, why would you work more hours if you don't need to?

Chunkymonkey79 · 15/04/2015 18:29

Yabu

You shouldn't need to be a carer to qualify for PT. Everybody should be able to have a work life balance.

lougle · 15/04/2015 18:29

Do you need to consider whether allowing specifically Monday and Tuesday off will cause problems? Not necessarily with this employee, but in setting a precedent? Might it be preferable to allow a 3 day week but not necessarily fixed days off?

Brandysnapper · 15/04/2015 18:30

I don't see working part-time as being remotely comparable to retirement Hmm

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