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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:

Ginmartini · 16/04/2015 15:57

I agree it's up to him and anyone should be allowed to work flexible hours - not just because they have dc or are older etc.

But I'd also mentally mark him down as unambitious and wouldn't necessarily take him seriously when it came to opportunities for promotion.

I'm just being honest!

DownWithThisTypeOfThing · 16/04/2015 16:05

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

judydoes · 16/04/2015 16:22

He's being honest. I've been in this position, and it was very frowned upon and people were really surprised at me. I'd just rather have a little less money and not be as shattered, and have more days to myself-why is it that we're all supposed to be wage slaves?

Marmalade1144 · 16/04/2015 16:35

He's been honest. If you value him as an employee I'd allow it. Therefore in the future he's going to come in all ready to work wed-friday. Damaging someone professionally is not the same as being unprofessional.

Oldraver · 16/04/2015 19:20

I think its a brilliant idea... When I signed on many many years ago I filled in my form to say I wanted to work Tuesday to Friday but would work longer hours on those days. I was asked why and said I went out clubbing all weekend and would rather be upfront about not wanting to work Mondays rather than risk phoning in sick.

I was told I wasn't allowed to say this

windchime · 16/04/2015 20:39

He will soon be back FT when he realises how shit PT wages actually are and that he can't afford to party at the weekend.

EmeraldThief · 16/04/2015 21:13

Good luck to him. We live to work instead of working to live in this country. If he can afford to cut his hours then why the hell shouldn't he?

medona · 17/04/2015 08:53

I think everyone would be happier if they worked 3 days a week and house prices weren't so stupidly high.

The more people work the higher house prices have got so people have no choice but to work work work.

medona · 17/04/2015 08:55

Surely someone with a decent job can work out that by working 40% less time they get 40% less money?

For me it was a no brainer as got me out of 40% tax and reduced the percentage I pay in tax by 5%.

wobblebobblehat · 17/04/2015 09:15

I would rather have a member of staff working hard for three days a week rather than a half hearted five days a week. It's nothing to do with being unprofessional.

To be honest, you're a bit out of touch. The vast majority of people want a better work/life balance and i am sure a lot of people would prefer to work less hours. Some of us actually have a life outside work!

InterOuta · 17/04/2015 09:19

I agree it's a great idea. Everyone should have a better work life balance.

BigBoobiedBertha · 17/04/2015 09:27

There was a bit or research a few months ago that said the optimium lifestyle for a contented life was 2 children, £81k a year to live (we can dream) and working 21 hours a week. In the absence of the 2 of those working part time would undoubtedly improve his life as it would most people's. Perhaps you should try it too and then you might not feel the effects of the green eyed monster or have to wear your judgy pants quite so often.

Fozzleyplum · 17/04/2015 09:45

You are no longer entitled unreasonably to refuse a request to work flexibly unless there are good business reasons not to.

YABU to judge his motives for wanting to work part time. If his work is lacking in any way on the days he is at work, then it's for his line manager to deal with that; although I suspect an individual with a work/life balance he's happy with is likely to perform well.

However, you need to consider whether his desired work pattern will have an adverse effect on others in the future. For example, if his reduced hours mean you're always understaffed on Mondays, that might make it difficult for you to allow other employees to take occasional long weekends. An alternative would be to implement a system where employees can "buy" additional days' leave on an ad hoc basis by sacrificing salary.

medona · 17/04/2015 10:07

Is that 81k a year for a family or per person?

I expect that figure does vary a lot depending on the area and housing costs. In London 150k a year and you won't be able to afford something nice in a nice area.

SandysMam · 17/04/2015 10:08

When my mum died prematurely, it was a massive revelation that life can be immensely short and THIS is IT!! If he wants to live more and work less, even for less money then good on him. Without getting into a religious debate about the afterlife etc, this really is our shot at life and we need to enjoy as much as we can!!

ToBeeOrNot · 17/04/2015 10:15

YABU

A lot of people seem to equate professional with long hours. I don't really see the correlation at all.

You see it similarly when people say that working unpaid overtime is standard in a 'professional' role, as if working contracted hours is somehow unprofessional.

At 33 I'm already easing down to retirement, 4 days a week at the moment, hopefully down to 3 days at 40...

colafrosties · 17/04/2015 10:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LadyCatherineDeTurd · 17/04/2015 10:27

For most people, the 5th day of the week is the worst paid by a long way. You have to be doing rather well for that not to be the case.

That said, while OP is BU, I do get being miffed that she's getting such a poor return on those high recruitment costs. That would piss me off. However, if you choose to be in an industry where talent is so niche and sparse that you need to spunk 10k on filling a vacancy, you have to plan for that. This bloke could just as easily have gone on extended paternity leave, or had an accident that left him unfit for work for months, or died, or decided to emigrate. You can't just assume that someone's going to be willing and able to hang around working full time for as long as you'd like. Real life gets in the way.

Lavenderice · 17/04/2015 11:10

Your post has made me really angry and probably for reasons that you don't even realise would offend. Why is the first thing you say is that he's male, single and in his 20's? Why does that make a difference?

His personal life is not your business, his life choices do not make him less worthy and you need to go on a HR course.

medona · 17/04/2015 11:25

I sometimes feel a bit hard done by getting 40% less pay for three days a week, as I'm super efficient and unlike my full time peers I don't waste time and flap about, I just get things done. So much time is spent waffeling and useless meeting that go off on tangents.

SolidGoldBrass · 17/04/2015 11:48

OP seems to have fucked off, presumably to crack the whip a little harder over his/her existing staff (while there are still any left).

BigBoobiedBertha · 17/04/2015 17:46

LadyCatherine - it could be even worse than that - he could just leave so it would have been a wasted recruitment fee. At least now the business continue to get some return on their investment and the recruitment of another part timer won't be as much (if, as I assume, the fee is based on a percentage of salary).

Also, if he gets PT working he is likely to stay longer as it isn't easy to get decent PT work.

LadyCatherineDeTurd · 17/04/2015 17:48

True BBB, though I take the point others have made about him maybe wanting to use the time to build up his own business. Still, them's the breaks.

itsmeitscathy · 17/04/2015 17:54

Wow. Go check the law out. YABU, I have no kids, am single and I'm in my late 20's - if I could afford it i would go part time. My friends with kids have no more right to be part time than me....

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