AIBU about work saying they are 'short staffed'?

[Xuli]

Possibly being too sensitive about this...

I've recently returned after maternity leave and I am doing a 4 day week. This was happily agreed by the (large) firm and by my department's manager. I suspect my small department is unhappy about it though. We were busy even before I went on maternity leave and there had been a hope that the department could keep my maternity cover and my p/t hours would become the 'extra' member of staff we needed (my manager didn't probe for details before I went on mat leave but as it was DC2 there was a sort of understanding that I was unlikely to come back full time straight away).

I get that this causes staffing issues for the department and I'm really sympathetic. As it is I'm starting to understand why people say that 4 days a week is just 5 days a week on less pay I try my best to help, I often work during my commute, keep an eye on my emails on my non-working day, and don't really take much of a lunch break.

However my direct colleagues often make comments about how busy they are (very true) and say things like, "of course, it's even worse on X [the day I don't work] day". Our workload is hard to plan as we respond to requests coming in, which doesn't help. Because of how we work, most work related emails are cc'd to the whole department. Every time I read my emails after my non-working day, it's full of comments to our clients that we might not be able to hit their deadline because the department is "short staffed today".

It's starting to annoy me now. Which is where I am probably being U. I know they are technically short staffed but... they did agree to this working pattern, it's a very common working pattern in the firm as a whole, we just haven't had someone do it in this department - I'm the only parent in the whole team. So after 2 months its just starting to feel like a bit of a dig at me. It's not like I've had a last minute annual leave day or anything, I will never be working that day. AIBU and oversensitive about it?

Financially, and in relation to the 'extra role', that is where it gets a bit tricky. I have had a pay rise so financially the firm is probably paying me not much less than when I was working f/t - which really helped my decision but doesn't their case much!

The extra role is taken off of someone else who is senior to me, and whose workload has increased a lot, so there's no extra funding for the role as while it is new to me, it's not exactly new to the department.

If the truth is that the department can only turn things round in 48 hours, not 24, because it doesn't have the capacity then they need to say that, not keep claiming that they're 'short-staffed', which clearly implies an unforeseeable situation, like staff sickness.

This has hit the nail on the head. Its a capacity issue not a staffing issue, which I think is why the comments keep niggling at me - the comments make it feel personal when it's not, it's a department issue.

Re reading emails on my day off, I know it's probably bad form personally but I am committed to the firm, want to stay here, and will probably return f/t at some point so I'm not overly bothered by it. They don't expect me to do work, but it does help that I can say quickly on my day off that I know I have capacity to do X job the next day, and so we can all plan better. Though I'm sure there is a better way to do that!

And this will Be because they will grow more and more resentful of the situation and will have made you the person responsible for it. (Which is already the case)

This is a big concern of mine. Like I said, I'm the first person in my department (with its current people) to go to p/t, and with a day from home included. Which I have asked for because I have two children. But I suspect one or two colleagues see it slightly as 'parents getting favourable treatment' because realistically, most of the time it is only parents who ask for p/t and flexible working.

Do you not have an out of office email in place for your non work day?

I do, but without being too boringly detailed about the job, that doesn't matter, as the work is divided between several of us.

A proper out of office message should advise everyone that it is your non work day and if the matter is urgent, please contact x. Alternatively I will respond on my return.

I would suggest you send your managers a message saying that this is the out of office message you propose using and therefore to manage internal and external expectations, please would they ensure that work is not allocated to you when you are not working.

If you don’t get this sorted now, you will do 5 days work in 4 but not get paid for it and that pattern will become the norm. Doesn’t sound a great company to work for?

Completely agree with Parker, If the work is shared between you, it should be shared between your working days too.

They're taking the piss and you're letting them.

This is probably a stupid question but it seems to me that you are already doing 5 days worth of work, including doing things on your day off, so why don't you go back to ft?
If you really don't want to, then I think you have to stop working on your day off and taking on guilt and responsibility for decisions your management made.
I would approach management about the 'short staffed' comments. As has been said, they have the staff they are contracted to have. I would also tackle it head on if people are criticising you directly.
Seems like your company didn't think it through before agreeing and are now letting you take the heat for it with colleagues.

I'm not doing 5 days of work, just checking my phone for 10 mins while the baby sleeps really.

Unfortunately the out of office is not relevant, though if it was the advice above is great. Work is sent from clients to a communal email for our team as a whole to them divide between ourselves, so my out of office doesn't really affect.

I guess I'm just sensitive as I know it's a problem, and I know my immediate manager would love to fix it, but v senior firm management have other concerns.

Glad other people agree that 'short staffed' is unprofessional. I don't think my immediate manager has really noticed the phrasing. I'll try and drop it into conversation and see if they'll change the wording.

I'm not doing 5 days of work, just checking my phone for 10 mins while the baby sleeps really.

Doesn't really make a difference. If you're seen to be reading and responding to emails on your day off, people will continue to expect you to do so; and will be disappointed/annoyed if you don't. It's a 'work creep' thing; doing a tiny bit on a non-work day once starts to set up expectations/assumptions among your colleagues. You need a clear boundary. Also, even just doing ten minutes on a day 'off' means work has intruded into that day, and, I don't know about you, but I personally need a clear day off sometimes where I don't deal with ANY work issues. It's healthier.

I would go to management or HR with any more comments along the 'of course, it's even worse on X [the day I don't work] day' and say these are unwarranted and put you under unnecessary pressure.

I once had an excellent manager who was hawkish about watching that we weren't regularly working extra hours and were managing our workload well.

She said that if we were working to expected standards (and we all did) then regular overtime was a resource issue for her to solve.

The lack of resource if not your problem, it's for management to solve.

Being part time is sometimes a protected category by the way

I also agree telling customers that the department is short staffed is unprofessional of your colleagues. It attracts the reaction for them to request staffing is sorted out and presume it's a short term issue due to someone being signed off or a short term absence.

The reality is that capacity & workload have changed, triggered both by your split role and contract change. There may be other factors but unless someone looks into it ie a time and motion study and sets new SLAs nothing will change.

I completely understand how you must be feeling and I would be sensitive to the language your colleagues are using too. Speak to your manager and agree that they need to take this on in terms of looking at capacity

I am a more than full time worker and would never dream of thinking bad of pt colleagues - one bloke always makes (V tedious after 3 years of the same) banter-ish remarks as colleague leaves and I always have to stand up for her as it pisses me right off.

I don't think 4 days a week is part time - I would see it as a full time role. Not that much difference in 4 days vs 5 days in comparison to 2.5 days vs 5 days!

Chin up - your doing a great job!

I don't think 4 days a week is part time - I would see it as a full time role. Not that much difference in 4 days vs 5 days in comparison to 2.5 days vs 5 days!

But that's sort of the problem, isn't it? If OP worked 2.5 days a week no one could pretend that all the work could still get done just as if she were full-time. But because it's only one day in five they're trying to divvy up the workload as if she were full-time, and then they find that leaves them unable to cope on her day off.

Is there anyone in the wider company you could talk to about this? Maybe informally to ask their advice?

And I’d come up with a stock phrase to correct the ‘short staffed’ dig, and correct it each time it gets said. Make sure the phrase can’t be taken as a complaint against the company though, so it can’t be used against you.

If OP worked 2.5 days a week no one could pretend that all the work could still get done just as if she were full-time. But because it's only one day in five they're trying to divvy up the workload as if she were full-time, and then they find that leaves them unable to cope on her day off.

That's exactly it. Some of them are obviously seeing it as my day off, more than me being part time/.8 hours

A 4 day week is pointless for this very reason. Either go 3.5 days or work full time, no point in doing anything else.

Financially we can't really do more or less days, with one day from home (no commute and shorter childcare hours) it works out for us. But sometimes I do wish I had started back on 3 days, they might have been forced to consider a job share then!