To ask why young people without children work part time?

[RosesinGranGransgarden]

Going to get flamed for this but here goes!

In every single job I've been in I've worked with people younger than me who work part time hours. I can't quite get my head around it.
In my previous job I was a retail manager. Most of the staff were young, 20-30, none had kids apart from me and one other lady. We used to have a sheet of overtime shifts up and I used to have to beg staff to work it. These are young people, not studying, none with disabilities that they disclosed to me, most were renting/ house sharing. I never understood why they didn't want to work more hours, get more money for house deposits, travelling etc.
Another job I was an admin assistant and two or three of the other admin were young women, married with no children, who worked three or four days a week. Why?! Even if their husbands earned enough to support them, shouldn't they have worked to save for maternity leave, holidays, nice car etc.
I know money doesn't motivate a lot of people but as a young, childfree person, I would have never thought to apply for a part time job, unless I could be assured there was overtime. If not for financial reasons then just out of boredom, as all my friends would have been working full time.
Currently I work 32 hours due to no afterschool club, my colleague works the same hours. She said to me yesterday she wants to drop a day as she's exhausted. She's 28?! We work in an office together. She moans about not being a homeowner, why not work more hours?
Sorry rant over.

My dc are 20 and 22. I hate working full time but have to as I'm single and pay the mortgage on my own. I feel like all I do is go to work come home do housework and sleep. It's boring and monotonous. I would love to work 3 days a week instead.

@shamalidacdak

You are right - I don't much like my job - I do it because it pays me the salary I need to sustain my lifestyle, working part time. I have increased my hours recently to boost my pension but am still 0.8 fte, I have intention to go full time.

I'm not ambitious for money, status, flash cars, big houses. I am motivated by and aspire to other things.
I am not lazy and no one has ever supported me financially. I'm quite comfortable with my life style, I can afford what I regard as luxuries.

If other people choose to work themselves into the ground thats up to them.

But you must understand that 'a strong work ethic' in one job is just 'easily exploited' or 'no boundaries' in another

Absolutely. My manager stays in the office till around 7, and regularly sends emails at 9pm. She says she logs in on Sundays and checks her email on holiday. Maybe she enjoys it but that is my worst nightmare, I don't understand it at all. I just see "workaholic" and "corporate slave" rather than some morally superior hardworking person. Working hard to make more profit for a company that wouldn't hesitate to fire you if they needed to cut costs. Making some rich old white guy even richer.

On my salary and working strictly 7.5 hours it is possible to buy a flat and pay it off early. Then can work PT and potter around art classes when older - the dream. I don't see how not staying late in the office to scrabble up the greasy pole makes me a "snowflake". Maybe we should just reclaim the word "snowflake"...

"I have a strong work ethic, always have had. It’s just a shame that the snowflakes are too lazy and unmotivated to do the same."

I don't believe in a strong work ethic when it involves working for someone else, I don't want a boss or to be managed, nor to manage others.
My work ethic is taking care of home, family, coming and going as I please, answering to nobody and enjoying my time on earth.

I guess it's great we are all different, but your strong work ethic is nothing to me, certainly nothing admirable about it.
It's funny how you term pt workers as snowflakes, maybe they just value time over career/ money.

If being a snowflake means that I prioritise my happiness, my family's happiness and my own choices over making someone else happy and making them money whilst lacking the ability to say no, then that is what I am and I am proud to be it.

I've never come across this with younger people unless they have another job somewhere else, I have with older women closer to retirement, mortgage paid off, husband earns well, don't need to earn much. Everywhere I've worked people have been very keen for paid overtime, unless they have logistical reasons they can't ie childcare, caring responsibilities or health issues; bars, restaurants and shops as a student, private business and now public sector. I do live in the South east and the job market is competitive and things are expensive though.

I would be a little peeved with a child of mine who was healthy and fit in their 20s choosing to only work 4days a week to spend an extra day reading, cleaning or even pursuing a hobby, (side business or studying completely valid). It’s not about living to work but carving out a future and having some drive.

My boyfriends last job was four days a week, his new one is (but with the addition of flexi hours), his job provides him with enough money to live comfortably in centralish London. He is only a trainee at the moment, but when he qualifies in the next few months he will earn significantly more. His job comes with a generous pension, when he qualifies if he chose to remain at the same level he would earn enough to have a decent pension, buy property (in this area) and retire before the state retirement age. Bur clearly, he lacks drive.

Working hard to make more profit for a company that wouldn't hesitate to fire you if they needed to cut costs. Making some rich old white guy even richer.

And so many employed roles amount to this, these days. So of course lots of people don't see the point, especially if they're not going to be able to attain home ownership and security even if they work flat out.

Me neither, never seen in London what OP described

Part time in youth pre kids is either a luxury (supported by partner family etc) OR a necessity (health, family committments, pursuing a passion or side hustle).

@Devlesko

paska

We all have choices, and we all can choose freely.
Most people work the hours they need to for their lifestyle choice.
When will you get that through to your skull

Yes, I could chose to work less hours. And then be evicted because I can no longer pay rent.

But at least I'll get to live free and do what I want on the streets, eh? I suppose food and shelter are just luxuries that us sheeple are too used to.

I guess if they don’t need the money then why not work part time. I don’t work at all. I could work as my kids are older but I don’t want or need to.

@shamalidacdak

Lack of ambition Someone supporting them Hate job Lazy Lots of reasons. But I've never met anyone single who could have a good life working part time, they all struggled

You might have met someone single who works part time for personal reasons (invisible illness or caring responsibilities, for example) but they don’t tell you because you come across as judgemental?

If I could afford to maintain the lifestyle I want on a part time salary I certainly would. I work because it pays for everything non work.

Paska

Food and shelter are necessary, but there's a huge difference in what people pay for food and shelter.
How do I know what your lifestyle choice is? I've no idea where you live, or how much money you earn.
So I don't know if you could work fewer hours, move somewhere cheper or spend less on food

Why does it appear strange to you that other people make different choices.

Not everyone believes work is the be all and end all, if they chose to limit their incomes to have more spare time, why not.

I am probably only going to go back part time, I don't need to work full time so I'm not going to.

@Devlesko

Paska

Food and shelter are necessary, but there's a huge difference in what people pay for food and shelter.
How do I know what your lifestyle choice is? I've no idea where you live, or how much money you earn.
So I don't know if you could work fewer hours, move somewhere cheper or spend less on food

I can't, so stop fucking acting like everyone can.

Paska

Are you ok? If you can't work pt, that's the way it is. Not everyone's situation allows this.
My point was some people make different choices, that doesn't make them lazy or lacking ambition, they may just value time more than earning, surely you can see this.

Oddly enough I’ve never known any young childfree people to choose to go part time. But if they did, well, good on them.

I originally intended to go part time to study but then found out I was pregnant (very wanted baby, but took a long time to concieve). So went part time to look after child instead. DS starts school in aug and I still intend to be part time

To be honest if I worked in a coffee shop I could only handle working there part time.
I would need to do other things with my time, otherwise I would probably get depressed.

I used to work part time in a university, first in the library, and then as an administrator. I was doing a part time Master’s degree but working 20 hours a week is SO nice. No children, just a better earning DH, a small mortgage and rental income.

Back working FT now. Might drop to 4 days a week.

I’m 24. Married. I sadly can’t have children. I work part time because I earn very well and don’t need or want to work full time. I own my home. It’s really quite straight forward. On the other hand, I can’t imagine having a life so small that all I could see was work and caring for children, but each to their own.

@Devlesko

Paska

Are you ok? If you can't work pt, that's the way it is. Not everyone's situation allows this.
My point was some people make different choices, that doesn't make them lazy or lacking ambition, they may just value time more than earning, surely you can see this.

I'm just sick of you acting like everyone has a choice and everyone who has a normal full-time job is a sheeple who only cares about material things. Your not superior because you can make a living in the circus or whatever the fuck it is you do, some of us are just trying to survive.

Quite a lot of young people focus on having 'portfolio careers'. One steady income (such as a part time job) while pursuing other streams of income, studying, building a business etc. it's an excellent way to live.

However I think it's none of your business why they choose to work part time. I'd love to go 4 days a week because I'm trying to build a business.

Or you could waste it looking after children...

I worked part time because I'm disabled - I am deaf and full time work overwhelms me. I worked and still do work part time as I need time to myself to sit in silence and unscramble my brain.

@Paska

You seem like you need to go part time to reduce the evident stress in your life.