Increasing or reducing hours?

[Marmalady75]

I went back to work last year after my maternity leave. The job was 0.5 pro rata. I've been told that this post will no longer exist and I can swap to 0.35 or 0.65 pro rata. My heart (and my dm) says spend more time with ds while he is little and just cut my cloth. My head (and my dh) says go for more hours. We had agreed that I would increase my hours when ds starts school, but he is only 2yo. Dh says it is ultimately my decision and agrees that we could still manage on the smaller salary. I am driven by my emotions more and he is more logical. I honestly don't know what to do.

Have you done a budget for both to see how you would be effected? This is what I'm doing to work out the practicalities.

0.6 is not much more than 0.5. Taking a cut is harder if it doesn't work out. What if your circumstances change and you need the money? You won't be entitled to more hours and may have to find another job.

I think you are entitled to ask for a trial. Check this out and you could then approach them for a trial at 0.6 and see how you get on.

What do the hours look like? If it's just an extra few hours then consider it, if it adds an extra day then don't.

(So if 0.5 hours was 9-3 x3 days per week and 0.65 hours is 9-5 x3 days per week then this is more doable than 9.30-2.30 x4 days per week)

As someone who can't get a reduction in hours from full time at all I would kill for 0.65. I know it's not much help to you but if you were going to increase your hours when ds is at school anyway I would take the increase now. You may not be able to down the line. Are you planning another baby? If so would you have increased maternity pay with the slightly longer hours?

Is this a job share op? From what you've said it sounds as though the company want to make it 1 FTE.
In which case, if you want to keep at 0.5 FTE is it possible to look at tweaking the hours/days to work in better for the company/other person?

The 0.35 is a long day and a morning. The 0.65 is 3 long days. The job I currently do is 2 days one week and 3 the next. They are both job shares with people I don't know and there is no flexibility in the days/hours.
I know I'm probably BU in wanting to take the decrease, but if I can afford it and it would make me happier I'm temped. My ds won't be little for long. My dh has a good job which covers the main outgoings.

I don't think anyone can decide this for you.

But that includes your Mum! Don't be guilted into taking the shorter hours especially if it might affect you long term.

Do what you think is best for you and your family.

I worked 0.6 fur 7 years when the dc were little, and found it a good balance. Enough to e at work to do a good job, yet more time at home than at work (i.e. I worked 3 days and spent 4 days at home). I also find it quite hard to spend much more time full on parenting!

I have managed people who have worked 0.4 hrs. they, by their own admission,have been very ineffective in such a short time.

I increased my hours to 0.8 when my youngest child started school 8 months ago.

Ah. I do 2 days one wk 3 days the next & its fab I understand your reluctance.

But honestly if I had to make the choice I would do the 3 days - I know they are longer days than you are used to but you are still used to doing 3 days every other week.

It's not just salary it's pensions etc too.

So the longer hours would be effectively one more day every 2 weeks? That doesn't sound too bad.

I would find 1.5 days extremely difficult - it would be hard to get into "work mode" before finishing work for the week, and not sure how productive I would be.

Are they allowed to do that? I thought they had to keep your job open for you with the same conditions?

If you think you would be happier, in doing less hours and still affordable - then it should be a no brainier.
However, if it was me - for an extra day every other week, for an increase in pay then I would do it! You're still getting a good chunk of the week off too!

What is the impact on childcare? If your mother (or any other family) helps with childcare then she should also be consulted. Will your dh take equal responsibility for sick days if he wants you to work more? Whereas if you miss 1.5 days due to childcare issues and sickness 3 days starts to get trickier with employers. Bear in mind too that often childcare is harder at primary age than at preschool age so you might want to consider that 0.65 would give a long term happy balance. What happens to your financial calculations if your dh goes down to 4 days a week and does a day with your son? Sometimes due to tax (if he drops a tax bracket)/ childcare costs that can be worth considering, then it is only two days without a parent.

I would go for more hours, you still won't be working much anyway and that extra money would be nice. I wouldn't be able to get properly into work mode in 1.5 days and I would feel less like a part of the company if you see what I mean? If the company was ever to consult on redundancies they might see a 1.5 day job as one that could be done by another existing member of staff.

Thanks for the replies. My mum does my childcare, so I thought it was important to take on her views (although I've offered to put him in nursery for some or all of the time, but she insists she is happy to have him). She says it's my decision and admits she is from a generation where women gave up work when the children came along.
I know that nobody can make the decision for me, but when I was wide awake last night I thought it might be good to get some outside opinions.

1 extra day a fortnight doesn't sound too bad to be honest. You may appreciate the higher hours too as you will feel more part of the work team and also benefit of yiu have another baby, pension contributions, and this one is awful but if you are sick you can take a day off if you need it or go to work and trudge through Whixh I find easier to do when feeling unwell than staying at home with ten minute activity rotation toddler !

One things as a sahm is that you're never allowed to be sick. I guess you have your mum about to help though if that happened.

One extra day a fortnight doesn't sound too bad at all - you're still off work more often than at work. And as others have said once you accept a reduction in hours it's not always easy to go back from that, and you'll have years of extra pension contributions. However, if you want to stay at home more with your child then that's a decision only you can make really.

Take the job and put him in nursery. You'll still spend about the same time with him but you can get more done, more money, he'll socialise at nursery

Another the night to think about is if you want more children- you'll get more maternity pay on the higher hours role.