Aibu to refuse to change my working days for meetings

[coralpig]

I work part time on fixed days. The other days I look after my children who are preschoolers. We have a new boss who is making repeated demands that staff must attend extra meetings and training on their non working days. These dates are totally random and were not pre published in advance.

WIBU to say no?

YWNBU.

No, if your contact states set days those are the days you work.

You’re not being unreasonable, but what does it say in your contract? You may find that they are able to require you to attend. Are you a member of a union? If not joining when you have a boss like this could be worthwhile.

Of course YNBU! You don’t work on those days. If they want you at a meeting, they can arrange it on a day that you do work, it’s not that hard. Stand firm.

If you worked a 5-day week you’d refuse weekend working, right? Just because you’re part time doesn’t mean you have to be available on the other days as some kind of penance. You’re literally paid less, that’s the penance. Stick to your hours.

Does your contract have a variation clause?

I think a bit of flexibility goes both ways - so you'll go in if they pay for childcare and give you the time back and they need to give you enough notice to make it logistically possible. If they're not up for it then you won't be either 😊

Say no - every time. Meetings have minutes if the subject is important enough. If training is absolutely vital - insist on childcare paid up front. You work part time for a reason. It’s up to the manager to sort out meeting and training when staff are in. I assume your previous manager had no issue organising the meetings etc?

What does your contract say? I work part time, I have to attend certain meetings that are on my non-working days.

From the title, I was going to say "it depends".
I've worked PT for years, and rather like having the 'favour' in the bag, so work 'owed' me. But my dc were school age for most of it and my Managers always then really appreciative of me covering things on my NWDs occassionally and were very supportive of me then taking the time back when it suited me.
In your case however, YANBU at all.

YANBU if there’s no give and take flexibility, and your boss is ‘demanding’ you do these things.

It's all down to the contract. Is it a set number of hours? Or set days?

Yanbu.

"Boss, if there are regular weekly meetings you need me to attend then my working days need to be taken into consideration. Any ad hoc meetings that cannot fall on my working day, please let me know if a teams recording or set of minutes can be made available so I can catch up on my working day"

I do get your position OP, but sometimes it’s impossible to arrange these things taking into account the various working arrangements of all those who work PT. It’s just not always possible to work around everyone.

That's true, but then those people just miss the meetings, or catch up during their working days. They don't work during their days off for free

I think it depends what it is. If it's something statutory like first aid or fire training, and physically impossible to have it on a day when all staff are working, then I think you have to be flexible. I'd expect fair notice and to be paid, or time off in lieu. IME people will remember your willingness to be flexible and reasonable when you yourself are asking for a favour - early finish to attend sports day, late-notice day off etc

YANBU
They are not being unreasonable to ask if you are able to attend but this should be optional and always paid.

As an aside, my previous employer was a nightmare for this and used to think it was fine to offer time off in lieu for extra days or meetings not seeming to grasp that I can't pay nursery bills for the extra days I've worked with time off in lieu!

There are 14 secretaries at our firm, half of whom are part time. There is not one day when we're all in. No idea what they will do next time they need an all-secretaries' meeting.

They are taking the p. Check your contract but it's unlikely they can enforce this.
When I worked pt I had to really see a prescedent early on that I wasn't flexible and I wasn't chopping and changing my days.

I do on occasion, if it suits me - but I'm equally likely to swap days if I want a particular day off. (not always explicit about that, no harm in letting them think I'm doing them a HUGE favour 😆)

You’re not wrong to say no but agree flexibility can work well if goes both ways, I have a fixed non working day with preschooler that day but have meetings booked in anyway. If I can get childcare sorted reasonably easy I do it but if I can’t I am not going to feel bad saying no

I used to work part time, .5 hours.
I made it very clear in my first week that on my other days I worked elsewhere so couldn't swap days about.

I did work elsewhere but only for one of the days, I just didn't want them to start encroaching on my time.

Probably won't work as they know you have a child in nursery, but it might work in the future.

They run two and have seven attend each. It's not crucial for everyone to attend on one day.

I work three days a week, set days. They are not allowed to ask me to work on days I don't work.

However, I have come in for meetings or training on my non-working days a couple of times, but only when it suited me - as in, I wanted the time off in lieu or I wanted to swap my day that week for something that I want to do.

Otherwise I would say no and say it firmly or this will set a precedent for what they expect of you. Check your contract first, obviously.

I work part time, meetings I have to be in are arranged for a day I'm in ( only part time worker in my department) training I will attend with enough notice as these are set by someone else and days not negotiable. I get toil or overtime my choice
Check your contract, mine states training has to be attended

Not secretaries, but a lot of people with different working patterns at my work, and this is taken into account with any requests for PT working - people know they will need to attend some whole team meetings across the year (for example, safeguarding renewal where room has to be hired and trainers paid, so can't be repeated). There is one day these meetings are always on, so anyone putting in a PT request can choose to have that as one of their working days, or agree in their contract they will attend those days across the year.
It will depend on your job of course as to if there are any meetings where it is essential everyone attends.