Full timers v Part timers

[user2389283]

If you work in a job where there are part timers and full timers do you find that there is a lot of animosity from the full timers towards the part timers?

Tinker, from the other side, it can be pretty annoying to be constantly having to politely explain that you're not going to come in unpaid on your day off...

No. I work part time in insurance. Never been treated differently as a result of only working 21 hours.

Very much so in my workplace - academia.

Mainly stemming from the fact that full timers are expected to be flexible (round the clock) whereas part timers have an excuse to get out of things and stick rigidly to their hours of work.

I say this as someone who has done both.

No, and on the odd occasions someone makes a playful comment about long weekends etc I just remind them that I get paid half of what they get.

However, I had to accept a lower paid position to go part time (quite considerable step backwards) and have an almost 0% chance of promotion unless I resume full time.

Generally no, but if I get the "I'd love to work part time" comment I will just say, yeah but it's part time money.

And full time management (management are always full time) do things like book compulsory training sessions on the same day of the week each time, meaning some part timers get to work numerous hours unpaid while others don't!

Both 'sides' find it hard to understand where the other is coming from.

When I used to work, I had a colleague who would constantly make digs about me being part time and how unfair it was. I pointed out I got significantly less pay and she could ask to do part time if she wanted, she then went on a rant about how she couldn’t afford it and that wasn’t fair either.

The people too stupid to grasp that reduced hours mean reduced pay can be arses sometimes.

I’ve been both and nope, we are all supportive of each other.

No (IT) -to be honest with so many people working from home and a mass exodus at 3pm even of the full timers I'd be surprised if that many people remembered who was part time and who was full time any more.

No. But where I work generally has a really good working environment.

I do actually answer emails and do work on days 'off' but this is a bad idea in my experience because it becomes an expectation and then you've got trouble if you are e g. working somewhere else or doing something else at those times. Which is your right.

This thread is interesting...I'm glad there are occupations where part time hours don't need to be defended. Maybe I should change...

I've worked 22 hrs for 6 years now and for the first 4 years it was great. No issue. Then pandemic hit and I'm not sure if it's because our team has had to expand, or working from home but I am feeling some animosity from, funnily enough, a colleague who used to work part time herself when her child was younger.

I generally feel like I'm expected to work more hours than I am paid for because she does, I'm not kept up to speed on things that happen when I'm not working, and I feel like I'm very much expected to "keep up" with the full timers.

Ironically i asked for more hours and it was never approved

Yes. Going part-time was like career suicide for me (teaching). But despite all the stick I've had over the years, I hope to never go back to full time tbh.

A little, not hugely

Yes. I am part time and got my job (teacher) when they were extremely short on staff & ideally wanted someone full time. Now there are no issues with staffing in our department I feel I have to keep my head down & go above and beyond to prove it is worth having me. I feel a lot of resentment (from staff not students).

I’m part time but I end up with full time hours every week (shift work)
I’ve heard the odd jibe but only ever in jest
the worst for it is one bloke who has a sn baby and other kids so he only does school hours,but he’s the worst for calling people ‘part timers’
he says it in jest to be fair and takes the jibes back-he is a lovely bloke who works really hard but other than that,no
your hours are our own

No, I only get paid for the hours I work and work just as hard during those hours, so I’d not be tolerating any animosity!
thankfully I work with decent human beings.

No, not at all. We have a lot of part timers in our team, but the nature of the job makes it easy to work part time. My partner in crime at work and I have a brilliant work relationship, and we pick up each other's work all the time.

The key is good communication.

Very much so in my workplace - academia.

Mainly stemming from the fact that full timers are expected to be flexible (round the clock) whereas part timers have an excuse to get out of things and stick rigidly to their hours of work.

I agree.

In my department there is a teacher that works PT but her days off always fall on the meeting days and parents evening etc so all of the staff have to regularly stay late, often gone 7pm apart from them.

You also get a set amount of money but are expected to work outside of your teaching hours so you don’t get paid more for staying for parents evening etc.
So the PT women is on much better money because although she gets paid less for less hours, she actually does a hell of a lot less hours because she doesn’t do all of the extra hours (if that makes sense).
I don’t think anyone judges her for it but they just wish they were in her position.

I used to have one day a week off which was really nice but I used that time to do work so I would have less to do on evenings and weekends which as a single parent was really helpful.

I would get ‘fun’ comments on how lucky I was to have an entire day off and that I’m alright as I’ll miss that meeting tonight etc. No one was ever down right rude but I always felt a bit guilty but that may have been in my own head.

I don’t care who is PT or FT as I know the PTs are getting less money and the hours suit them and their family.

Good communication certainly helps (my school is good for e.g. minuting all meetings and recording CPD and important announcements).

But it's hard to fight an attitude that you're somehow 'getting away with something' and/or to deal with regular thoughtless decisions that have more impact on part timers than full timers. If you push back on this stuff you soon look like a whinger.

I do push back as I'm aware of other part time colleagues who daren"t say anything because they're only one pay check away from disaster.

I must say that in every teaching job I've ever done part timers have been required to do parents' evenings whether they work that day or not. Sometimes you get paid for the hours but it can be a massive pain with childcare.

I do understand that. It's just akward all round.

I'm the only part timer in a team of full timers. I don't find any animosity from anyone, there is nothing negative from them at all actually.

I do annoy myself though, by being almost apologetic about not working as much as the others, despite the fact that it's a formal contractual arrangement and I get paid accordingly.

Ive quite a bit of animosity and frustration from full timers. I’m on my third part time role in 8 years. This is the most part time I’ve worked and it’s not really working. I’ve found most PT staff work very hard and effectively and get more done than if you are just waiting until 5.30pm to leave the office and are just stringing some work out to fill the time. I know I have to finish a piece of work before having one of non working days rather than just thinking oh I can just do a bit more tomorrow. I’m not sure full timers recognise this.