Attitudes at work to working mothers, particularly if part-time

[Notcontent]

Sorry - just feel like a moan and wonder if other people feel like this.

I work in a professional role, in a job that can require long hours and can also pay extremely well. I am lone parent so can’t do those long hours and so I work in a role which pays well, but not compared to most of my colleagues. I also work part time (four days a week) and obviously my pay reflects that.

But I always feel that my boss (who earns about 10 times what I do or more) and others think I am not pulling my weight. My work keeps banging on about work/life balance, etc but ultimately I feel that as a woman, with caring responsibilities, I will always be seen as not doing enough.

I've had the comment 'it's alright for you, you're part time' and 'ugh, I wish I had loads of free time'. In reality I'd spend my days off wrangling with two under fives, trying to get some work done when / if they napped, sorting out the revolting state of the house in the evening. I think they imagined me sipping a cocktail and having my nails done.

Honestly my experience with people who work part time, say 2 days a week, (healthcare) is that they very very quickly fall far behind and never manage to keep up on changing procedures, guidelines etc. It would almost be easier to not have them at work then have them there but constantly feel like you're trying to get them to catch up on what's changed in the last week. It's a big problem with people who work very few days a week, eg 2 days, and add in to the shifts they do means they're not in during the day so miss additional training time. Its a mess. People who work 4 or maybe even 3 days part time isn't an issue but the people who do 2 shifts a week are always so, so far behind.

Obviously not the case for all industries but in my sector this is my experience.

Working part time in some industries is very difficult. In my old job we all worked the hours paid more or less - there was flexible so if you worked over some days you got it back others and work was pro rata. There was still the resentment from some when you left on a Thursday not to return till Monday (less so for colleagues who had Monday off I thought) but I would retort that I was only paid for 4 days not 5 if I needed to.

However, in an industry or role where you are paid to do the job not by the hour I can see why some might get frustrated that they are paid full time working say 9 hours a day but part timers work less days (fair enough they are paid less) but don't work the extra 'unpaid' hours so only work the 7.5 hours that's in their contract and are out the door at 5 to collect their children.

I think there is much work to be done to make working conditions better for part time workers. It's true for many that when part time you work that much harder than full timers. I remember rushing through trying to finish up work when I left on a Thursday as I knew I wouldn't be back in the next day but others would be and my work or lack there of could impact others. If you are full time you don't usually have that issue as you are all leaving on Friday and coming back on Monday.

I do honestly believe though that not every job can be worked by a part timer. The higher up you go or the more responsibility you have in a role the more impossible it is not have that person in at work on days off or to be able to split the responsibility over two people. So as unfair as it might seem going part time will restrict your options and possibly your chance of promotion.

I also disagree that part timers are more effective than full timers. Every employee however long they are employed needs supervision, to attend some meetings and training. This time rarely changes much for part timers versus full timers, so it does leave part timers less time to actually do the work.

Some part time jobs should really be job shares so the responsibilies are always being covered by someone.

jenny no one has said all part timers are more effective, Just that they might be, as they have no option but to getcthexwork done within set times. And not all jobs regularly involve those things.

You are really searching for reasons for part timers to be considered lesser. Why?

I am a part timer. And it works for my job. I am not searching for reasons, I am answering what some have said on here that simply is not true. And most jobs involve some level of ongoing training, necessary meetings and/or supervisions.

but no-one has said that all full timers and this or all part timers are that. Just that, as one could argue X in favour of full timers (eg that they can do overtime), one can argue Y in favour of part timers (that they can be very efficient as they don't have the option to stay late). None of that is untrue.

My boss was completely understanding and offered compressed hours. After 18 months I had to admit defeat and go part time (30 hours per week) as I was struggling with MH issues.

Some colleagues would refer jealously to my part time hours. I would remind them they are welcome to apply for the same

OP I completely hear you. I posted a similar thread about this the other day. Am also a LP to a small child. Ironically I think my life is harder now working 30 hours a week than when I worked 37-40 hours a week and had no child because I never ever have any rest time to myself- I don't think childless FT colleagues have any comprehension of this. You're doing great

Bob Crow would be turning in his grave at some of these assumptions that we should be working past our hours and not getting paid. So would Marx.

Whether you work full time or part time, you have a right to leave at the time your contract states. I applaud the countries that restrict the time work emails can be sent - it's a start. Every person that gives their labour for free out of their stated hours is doing someone else out of a job. It's so wrong!

@MissB83 surely that's life choice though rather than anything to do with your work? The whole point some of us are trying to make is that having children should not impact on your work life - and yet you're sounding as if you should be cut some slack because you don't get any "me time"!

Might also be worth remembering that plenty people don't have any time to themselves as a result of caring for elderly relatives, for example.

I work 3 days a week and have found it a good balance however often I am expected to stay behind after I finish. I don't mind the odd day here and there but I spoke to my boss last week and said that whilst I dont mind this now and again I wont be staying longer than 15 mins as I am not paid for this time. It obviously has a knock on effect in that my dh has to collect the kids and feed them before I get in so I barely see them on days I work. I would be bollocked if I was 15 mins late but staying up to 45 mins behind is just expected. Colleagues can sometimes get their backs up when I say I am going home but I dont see why I should join the martyr club. I am fully present at work and make sure I do my hours. Yanbu

What's depressing as fuck is the colleagues I've seen who've been good workers for decades in some cases and given up loads of their own time to keep understaffed departments ticking over and still got screwed over as they got older and started to get health issues needing time off. If you think working beyond your hours is insurance against being managed out of your job it isn't.

@margotsdevil I was just making a comment about my own experience of the difference between FT working as a non parent versus PT working as a parent. I certainly don't expect my colleagues to cut me a single inch of slack, my point is that in comparison working FT with no child was a breeze so I don't know what the need is to make a fuss about how difficult it is, or why people would assume those who work PT and have any kind of dependants are just dossing around drinking tea when they aren't in the office (I have PT colleagues caring for those at the other end of life too and their situation is like mine). And I agree with the people who say that PT workers are generally given too much to do in accordance with their hours. I would love to be able to have enough hours in the week to work more but I simply can't make my life work if I do.

Absolutely, I've been overlooked and let go from jobs (legal because technically they were fixed term contracts but still!) putting your kids first is very much seen as a weakness. Then there's the insensitivity of others - why are work meetings being organised for 5pm? Routinely h is in crucial meetings that could have been scheduled for earlier in the day at 6.45, just one of many annoyances! Ok for us it doesn't matter really, grown kids and separated (still living in same house) but in the past I would miss my own work stuff (often in the evening because I've always worked in not for profit) because he wasn't home to take over childcare, when he left at 9am, all because his colleagues don't seem to want to go home to their wives!

I think I'm fortunate... I work 4 days / 30 hours since having my first baby but it hasn't affected my career, and my workload is not too much to get done on time. On rare occasions I've stayed 20 minutes or so late to get something finished but that's it, and it's not really expected of us.

My manager says that anyone staying really late over their hours on a regular basis clearly can't get their work done in time and is therefore either slacking during the day or has been overloaded... if someone is staying late because they're overloaded they're not doing themselves any favours by carrying on dealing with it and working really long days rather than raising it with their managers so they can look to raise staff ratios or improve process etc.

I've had the odd "part timer" comment but never in a nasty way and I always just point out that yes I have an extra day off, but I also lost 20% of my salary.

I do feel very lucky after reading a lot of responses on this thread!

I agree with the part time workload issue, a wise colleague told me never to come back from mat leave 0.8 because you will just do a full time job for less money, 0.5 they'll get another 0.5 to job share. I've consolidated full time hours over 4 days instead and I will probably still accrue TOIL with the OOH cover/standby I have to do. This is public sector so flexi and part time is fairly common. All I would remind part timers in my industry is that everyone is stretched/stressed and has a very high workload, from bottom to top of the sector.