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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

about DP working away...?

62 replies

Piffle · 06/02/2007 10:33

I'll try to keep this as short as poss.
WE used to live in Hants, we moved to Lincs in Sept 04 for great grammar school for DS, better house for your money and semi rural lifestyle. All achieved, all happy, dd (4) has mild special needs, is due to start school Sep 07 in perfect tiny village school where she will thrive. DS (13) doing very well in yr8
I'm expecting a baby boy in March.

When we moved DP's company got bought out by US giant - he is in IT but is managerial, often defence projects (high security cleared) obv being RAf in Lincs plenty of work up here...
However he spent first 2 yrs of our move, working back in Hants, we were to a point utterly miserable.
He laid it on the line, told them he would quit if he could not get based back in Lincs so duly 01/01/07 he started back up here
Marvellous!!! All going BRILL!
He is booked to a project ending March - due to coincide with paternity leave for new ds.

Right today he rings.
Job in
London, un spec time prob 1 yr or more.
working from home or Lincs office 1-2 days per week, daily commute to London via 1st class train other 3-4 days.
Leaving at 6.30am (waking at 5.45am - means waking me and prob baby as well) getting home at 6pm (which I seriously doubt by the way)
We're half an hour from the train station too.
He is keen on the job as it ticks a lot of his boxes and his work really want him on the job, possibly with terms he can tweak.

I just am depressed beyond words at the thought of managing 3 kids - one newborn between 5-7pm on my own.
He is not the most supportive hands on Dad at weekends wither although he is very good at doing things you ask him.

F f

OP posts:
Piffle · 06/02/2007 14:12

I guess there is nothing in it for me
infact I have something to lose
He is gaining sweet Fa when all said and done
He chose to take a change in work skills when he transferred here properly 5 weeks ago, he was keen to retrain his skills and adapt
Now it's all change and for what?

OP posts:
catsmother · 06/02/2007 17:25

I do understand your upset at having what you thought was going to be your future all tipped on its head with the prospect of this new job.

But, like many others have said, though not ideal, these are the sorts of working conditions many of us and/or our partners also have to put up with - or worse. I think long, inconvenient hours are inevitable when house prices just keep going up and up ..... so people end up commuting for hours (because they can't afford to live closer to work) and/or they remain in a job with sh*tty conditions because they can't afford to drop to a lesser paid job with better conditions IYKWIM.

Yes - it sucks. The days of leaving at 8.15 and back in time for tea at 5.30 are long gone for all but the very fortunate few.

My DP leaves at 6.30 - and has done for years. If we're lucky, he gets back at 7.30 but his is the type of job where he's expected to stay as long as it takes ..... so it's an hour or two later reasonably often. He's also perpetually "on call", should he be required. In practice, this hasn't impacted too badly, but the interruption and intrusion in our short time makes me really resentful. On top of that he travels abroad quite frequently, for up to a week, so guess who is then left with 24/7 responsibility (and also feeling like I've got the sh*tty end of the stick when he gets to eat out in nice restaurants and bars and maybe squeeze in a little sightseeing too) ?

Unfortunately, for all these expectations, my DP doesn't work in the city and is no way paid a "city" type salary or anything remotely close. If he was it might be some compensation and we might have been able to have more than 1 weeks holiday in the last 5 years. Nor do I have the option to even think about getting any sort of help, be it an au pair, nanny or a cleaner.

Anyway ..... I know that doesn't especially help you, but it is a reminder that 100s of 1000s of people live like this permanently, without any option of working closer to hokme for one or two days a week, which would obviously help, and cut down on commuting time.

I hope I'm not offending you - I don't mean to, because I'm sure you know all this and I also appreciate that if long distance working has caused problems in your relationship before, you're understandably worried that they might again. However, I wonder if your resentment and concern is in any way connected to your DH's reaction to this prospect ? What has he said about it ? ...... do you feel that perhaps he isn't being as assertive as he could be at work regarding previosuly "agreed" conditions, or do you feel that perhaps he's just taken this news "lying down" irrespective of the difficulties it might cause ? .....

..... when I stop to think about it, I feel quite resentful about DP's hours and the expectations placed upon him, but I also know that he could NOT get a job paying what he earns now (and we need every penny) closer to home, and I also understand that in his particular skills sector, his conditions are nothing unusual. I don't feel that HE, personally, is responsible for the situation we find ourselves in.

In other words, I don't feel his employers are taking advantage of him - it's just that long hours go with the territory. If however, they were to introduce something "new" (and disvantageous and/or unreasonable for no extra money) and I felt he'd not at least tried to reach a compromise, I'd feel very angry/hurt if the "price" of meekly accepting such a proposal without murmur was our family life. Though even then, at the end of the day, if someone simply can't get another job, most people would have to put up with it unless the change(s) itself was illegal in some way.

I can only echo what others have suggested and advise you to implore DH to negotiate the best possible arrangements (for you all) for him to complete this job.

paulaplumpbottom · 06/02/2007 17:28

I deal with the same. My DH is in IT as well. We live in Belfast. He works from home about 2 days a week and commutes to London the rest of the time. Up at 5:30 home at 7:30 (if flights run on time). It is hard but we manage. What I will say is that I make him keep up his end. You tell your DH you'll do it but he has to help out on weekends and in the evenings when he is home.

marymillington · 06/02/2007 17:43

But he has a CHOICE in this

And piffle has compromised for the past two years on his working away.

jenkel · 06/02/2007 17:58

I would dearly love DH to work closer and more family friendly hours. He leaves at 6 in the morning and the earliest he is home is 7, he works in IT in London. But he earns good wages and loves his job. I have 2 dd's under 4 and no family around to call on etc.

Does he want the same as you? It sounds like he is in a good position as he is wanted so its up to him to stipulate some rules, hopefully they are family friendly and will understand why is wants to be home at a resonable time.

milge · 06/02/2007 18:03

I think piffle's point is that they made a joint decision to go for quality of life, and as this new job only detracts from that, does not give the family increased finances and does not give piffle's dh any career progression, she is upset at the thought. Almost as if he is renaging on their previous joint decision. Lots of people stick at the 6am-12midnight working pattern, but Piff and her dh have opted out of that consciously.

Booboobedoo · 06/02/2007 18:08

Yes, it does seem somewhat beside the point to say that many others have to live like this.

Piffle doesn't have to, and why should she?

If you and DH made an agreement based on having had relationship-troubles caused by separation in the past, then this should be number one priority.

He won't get more money and will have less time with his family.

Also, Piffle hasn't said he hates his job. Does he like it anyway?

My DH works long hours, and we really had to negotiate to find a compromise we were both happy with. And we haven't had our first child yet! We also have to renegotiate every few months when things slip.

Perhaps he needs reminding why you moved to Lincs in the first place...

beckybrastraps · 06/02/2007 18:15

If those were the decisions you jointly made only a couple of months ago then I too would be hacked off. What has changed his mind?

Piffle · 07/02/2007 15:58

Well dp has agreed in principle that his working day requirements can be set in stone.
Any change to working hours and he's off the job.
He is in quite a decent bargaining position as lots of people have aplied but been turned down but he has been approached specifically, it seems he is the only one with clearance to work there.
So he has stipulated 2 days a week working from home/local office to be set around the weekend so mon/fri - th/fri- mon/tue
First class rail travel to London so that he can work en route and add these hours to his workday load - 2-3 hrs each day)
One longer working day by prior arrangement, in order for an 4.30pm get away on other days

He actualyl asked for these off his own back, he said he is not being taken away and in a lot of ways it could actually improve the time we spend together.

So if it works out as he plans it would be fine.
But in the back of my mind I distrust his company so much on working hours...

Funnily enugh they are prepared to pull him off current project and stick him straight in 01 March, however he mentioned - err we have a baby due in March not keen on starting until after pat leave. - they said oh that's ok, we can still allow you some special leave...
So we shall see

OP posts:
SilverSpot · 07/11/2017 13:54

I have to admit the thought of being woken at 5.30am 3 x a week horrifies me when it's not me who has to get up

Why would he have to wake you up?

Clothes ready the night before, put in the spare room or downstairs in the sitting room if no spare room. No using of the en-suite if you have one.

TBH I would be fine with this if 1) 2 days a week were protected in the Lincs office and 2) he really was back by 7.30.

The commuting will be tiring tho.

SilverSpot · 07/11/2017 13:55

totally missed your update

The agreed situation sounds good!

scaryteacher · 07/11/2017 13:59

The update was a decade ago Silver!!!

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