To ask if you work part time..

[parttimeworks]

What’s best, 3.5 over 3, or 4 over 4?

Trying to decide what to do and I have no idea as I’ve only ever worked FT. My job is very much leave at the door so I wouldn’t have a full time workload. I will be able to do one day WFH (handy to run the washing machine, and do some housework in my lunch break).

Points to consider:

On office days, the commute is fairly long. I have two bases, one is 40 mins (train and short walk) the other is 45 mins by car or an hour in peak times.

• I don’t want to be at work more than at home but also sense longer days might be overwhelming with a toddler, but then at least the work is out the way in 3 days?
• DD will be with grandparents one day and childcare the other two. If I worked 4 days and we were to pay for a 3rd day of childcare it wouldn’t be covered by the funding and I would be up £15 for the day after the childcare had been paid. Doesn’t seem worth it if the trade off is nursery bugs and less time with my baby?

Help me choose! I’m going round in circles. What do you do and would you recommend?

3.5 over 3, imho.

This

In my opinion condensed hours don't really work with a commute, it's exhausting. To do 3.5 over 3 you've to do 9 hours 45 mins including lunch, its basically 8.30 am til 6.30pm, when you add in the commute it's a really long day. Its hard to work productively for that length of time and you end up doing extra on your days off.

Just do 4 days a week. When child starts school ask to spread the 4 days over 5 to do some shorter days.

3.5 over 3 depending on what your dropoff / pickups look like.

I'd be looking to start very early and finish not too much later than normal on those days to minimise impact, but if you're a nightowl or can't leave until a certain time in the morning then it could be a slog (but you do then have 4 days to recover).

Will an early start or late finish at least make the traffic better one way?

And don't kid yourself you'll "log on in the evenings". It never quite makes up the time, its knackering, and it annoys co workers. You also risk being seen as not really doing enough to justify your pay.

Personally 3 days. I wouldn’t class 45 mins as a long commute though.

4 days at home with baby including the weekend, 3 longer days but for me it works. It can be a rush in the evening don’t get me wrong but I don’t regret not doing the extra day.

My commute is 1 hour 15/30 mins.

Personally I always tell my staff that they should do 60% if they drop to part time but I appreciate your job might be different to these.

I hate a commute so would do fewer and longer days if you can make the timings work - assuming you have a partner for drop offs and pickups those days as with that commute plus longer days I don't see how you'd get to either in time?

What @InDogweRust said.

It does depend on the job.
In a lot of places, the employer won't replace the one day, if you go down to 4 days, so you end up squashing in a full week's work, for 4 days pay. So I usually recommend not doing 4 days, but I agree with InDog, that extra hours plus commute makes for a really long day - not only for you, but for the Grandparents offering childcare.

They’ve not covered my maternity leave, just distributed work amongst the team (they are much busier but it is working for now) so I can’t see they would recruit for the other hours, just be glad to have me back

Yeah my husband but he works shifts so I would be doing most the drop offs and pick ups. Another consideration!

I think 3.5 in 3 days. I did this and appreciated the two days off. You can always go up to 4 later but easier to negotiate up rather than down!

Very true

I work 3 days and have done for quite a few years so I would really recommend this. Althought mine are older now (still school and college) the 4 days “off” will give you chance to get things done and most importantly spend time with your DD. As many people said to me they are only little once and if you can afford to do it, do it. You are lucky to be in this position. I would have liked more money over the years and now tbh, but time is more important to me than monetary gain. I know not everyone has this choice and I do count my blessings.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Can you actually do compressed hours at all with a nursery drop off and pick up? I thought it only just covered the working day, with a commute.

Can you actually do compressed hours at all with a nursery drop off and pick up? I thought it only just covered the working day, with a commute.

This - nurseries don't open long enough because children do actually need sleep. You won't be able to do compressed unless you either lie & don't actually do the extra hours, or you have someone doing the nursery runs for you.

Could you do 3.5 in 3.5 and do the .5 WFH?

It might be a bit less pressure and you'll still have a chunk of your day left.

Of course you can do compressed hours with a nursery run as well, although depends on hours of the nursery, and location of the nursery. My child's nursery is next to where I work so
Drop off 7:30
Start work at 7:45
Finish work 6:00
Nursery pick up 6:15
I only do this once a week as dh does the other 2 pick ups

I do 4 days a week. I can't imagine being able to do compressed hours, but my job is pretty intense. I work absolutely flat out for those 4 days I have always worked quickly and try to be super productive but I do love my job.

Agree with @InDogweRust - if you’ve got a commute, 3 days is too long. Do 4 days, then a day off with DC. Then when DC starts school do 4 days spread over 5, so you can do two pickups. That’s what I do and it works well.

This is what I’d request.

(Compressed hours are a brilliant thing, but only if you WFH, or have no commute and someone else doing drop offs and pick ups.)

I hate a long commute and wouldn't do it; so that would be my biggest factor, but is it yours?

I have a similar sounding job/commute length and also do 50/50 wfh and office split. I've just gone back doing 4 days over 3 which is 7:00-17:30 with a 30min lunch. Honestly it's ideal...more days off than days working feels nice but I've not dropped that much in salary. Definitely happy with this balance for us. The office days are long for 14m old but he's with his gran those days and I still see him for about 1.5hr before bed then I know I'm off the following day to spend with him. Hope you find a good balance too...I've not found it as hard going back as I thought it would be

I did fewer days when DS was under 5 and spread the same houra across 4 shorter days when he started school. More fuel, but no after school club costs!