To think I shouldn’t have to attend 100% of meetings if I’m part time?

[parrrtime]

I work three days a week, but our staff meetings fall on a day I work.

AIBU in thinking that I shouldn’t actually have to attend all of these? Not to be purposefully obtuse about it but sometimes I could really do with leaving a bit earlier and tomorrow is one of these. I am wondering if it’s worth arguing that I really shouldn’t have to stay.

There is never anything important covered in the meetings, by the way.

Are they paid?

It's not a good look.

If you're a teacher then you don't need to attend all of them. Sounds like you're on a 0.6 contract in which case you only need to attend 60% of them. Our staff attend all of them but claim the time back in lieu throughout the year.

Lol, let us know how that one goes.

They take place in working hours on the day you work. Why on earth wouldn’t you think you have to attend? The team manager has probably made sure they happen on everyone’s working day so that nobody feels excluded.

I don't understand the correlation between working part time and attending staff meetings that take place on your work days.

I expect those who work part time in my team to attend meetings and they get the time back. I set the expectation at interview stage and give as much notice as possible

Depends what job you do. I work three days as a teacher. We have 15 staff meetings Over the year and I only have to attend something like 8 of them. They are on the days I work. I don’t go to all of them if I don’t need to.

I think industry is important here and whether they're within your core working hours and if they're mentioned in your contract and if they've been arranged on this day specifically so you can attend

Especially when you throw in wanting to slope off early…

haha. No, staff meetings are not attended on a pro rota basis! In fact, often it's one of the realities of part tme working - often meetings like this are important so you don't miss out on things happening on days when you're not there.

Are you paid prorata for them? In teaching when you are part time e.g 0.6 of ft then you would generally do 0.6 of all the other directed time such as meetings because you aren't paid for them. Other jobs like office jobs might include attending meetings in your pay or job description. Do they happen in your working hours?

Just to be clear, are you saying you want to not attend a team meeting, for a team you work in, on one of the only days you work, in order to leave earlier?

This depends so much on your field and profession.

We arrange meetings around part time staff. I wouldn't be impressed if they then decided they were too important to attend in order to leave the office early. So unprofessional and would get short shrift from me

Part-time and leaving early? OK.

The meetings take place on your working days, do they take place within your working hours?

I am a teacher yes. So for example, two of my colleagues also work 0.6 but don’t work Wednesdays, so over the course of the year I am in work a lot more than they are! I don’t actually mind particularly but it does mean I would like to defend my right to skip the odd one.

They possibly do them on a day you are in so you don’t miss out. You are being paid to work so wanting to miss a meeting to leave early is not acceptable

Being part time is almost red herring.

You want to leave early for some reason and you want to know if it's reasonable to miss a staff meeting. That's the real question, isn't it?

If you are a teacher this is set out in the burgundy book. Directed time is pro rata for part time staff

neu.org.uk/advice/your-rights-work/workload-and-working-hours/directed-time

Meeting takes away from total time to get other work done eg a 2 hour meeting infringes on a greater proportion of available work time for a part timer vs full timer

but leaving early isn’t a suitable excuse. If a meeting is skipped, the time is used to manage workload.

I would love to believe I am as important as that but I’m not.

It is true I am being paid to work but even with my terrible maths skills I can see that doing the same amount of meetings as a full time member of staff when I’m not doesn’t quite add up.

Thank you.

Definitely not OK where I work. If our part timers only heard 60% of the information and m 60% of the discussion, we wouldn't function and they would be alleging discrimination for being left out.