To only work very part time?

[OneJadeSheep]

I only work 2 days a week and even then only during school hours. I feel that’s the most I can cope with whilst also being a single kinship foster carer to 4 children. Colleagues are complaining though saying they think I should work more days because me being so part time is causing problems for them because they are having to do work that I don’t have time to do in my 2 days. Some colleagues have also described it as “ridiculous” that I only work very part time and they feel I should be working a minimum of at least 3 days a week or more. AIBU to work very part time like this? I feel like all my colleagues are gossiping and talking behind my back about how part time I am! One of my colleagues has also said they don’t think I’m a “proper part” of the team because I’m so part time.

Nasty colleagues. You are doing just fine working part time and fostering 4 children, ignore, ignore, ignore.

Clearly the owners of the business have made a gross error in thinking that they can employ a Global Head of Accessability on a very part time basis.
Their lack of judgement has led to your skills being needed but not available and the business is suffering.

Your work mates are frustrated. They can not do their jobs to a high standard like they used to be able to. It is the boss who allowed you to work very parttime who they need to talk to.

Maybe you should be offered a package to leave so that a full time position can resume.
Maybe they should offer you more pay to work a four day week during term time.
The boss needs to fix the problem before the whole business gets a bad reputation and goes bust.

Could you offer to train up another colleague to your skill level and have them employed for the other three days?

Discuss the atmosphere you endure with the boss who allowed you the reduced hours.
You need to suggest that the situation is rectified by employing another person part time.

Do you think the boss is wondering, and half hoping, that you will want to return to working more hours once you are settled into the foster care? Is the job kept open so that you have the opportunity to return, Op?
Do you think you will want to increase your hours?
What about when all of the kids are in school?

Sorry, but this needs ironing out - we can't have the staff sniping at you in full view.
They are aggrieved (quite rightly!) & so are you (quite rightly!) bring it to the front & state what other posters have suggested - hire another employee to fill the empty hours (they can't give you your P45 as your working your contracted hours!).
That way the, you have done your bit & then the onus would be on the management to sort it out...

Kinship care for 4 foster children is a full time job in itself so well done to you for working any hours, even if it is part time, outside of the home. I know its easier said than done, but ignore them. It's a reflection on them rather then you. However if it is bcoming too much raise it with your manager or HR because they may need to get someone else in for a job share etc because its not your fault that they don't have the capacity to do more work. It's an organisational problem.

So long as you are competently doing the job you are being paid to do, within the hours you are being paid to do it, YANBU. Your colleagues should take it up with your employer if they feel they are being overworked, and perhaps another colleague could be hired.

But headcounts should be measured in whole time equivalents so can't you get your manager to appoint a job share partner for you?

Sounds like there would be an opportunity for another high level part time role.

The bitching and gossiping needs to stop too. I would be working through your company's bullying, harassment and discrimination policies on that one. They are treating you unfairly due to your part time status which is unacceptable.

You need to log this, either via conversation and follow up email with Management / HR, to flag the potential bullying, plus comments made directly to you about not being a part of the team. The comments about not being part of the team is actually discriminatory, however much it is a badly thought through comment made due to frustration.

Unfortunately, the employer could decide their easiest option is that you are not performing and you are not capable of doing the job, even though they are at fault for not ensuring the work load is covered by implementing a job share. How they will do this is by putting you on a performance plan to flag capability, or initiate some kind of redundancy. Therefore, like others have said, you need to be the one that raises this, logs everything, and if it continues raise a formal grievance. Also, please read up about Subject Access Requests; if they are saying these things, I can guarantee they will have emails and Teams conversations discussing it also, and if it comes to it, that is your written evidence and proof. A Subject Access Request is also a pain for any company, but it is a legal requirement for them to comply. Any keywords that identifies you (such as foster care) can be included.

Do not just hand your notice in and walk away when they are the ones who have not managed this situation.

We all understand the frustrations for your colleagues, however what you are experiencing is bullying and discrimination.

It amazes me when people write things such as "mop up work" of those on long-term sick. It is frustrating, but heaven forbid people are actually ill. The individuals gossiping and bitching are the ones who land companies in very hot water.

Headcount is literally number of people.

FTE is number of hours.

if they have a headcount budget then in order to have 2 people cover 1FTE they would have to lose someone from elsewhere.

Headcount budgets are a really bad idea for the reasons shown here.

The OP only got this arrangement on appeal. They have attempted to get the best option for themselves, and this is having impact on others. they are in a senior role with management responsibilities, so bleating about “doing their hours” when they are effectively doing around 20% of the full time role won’t be a good look and will only speed up the almost guaranteed redundancy. Which would be paid out at the current salary.

Many places measure headcount in Whole Time Equivalent, not literal heads.

It makes no sense to count the OP as a whole person when she only does about a quarter of the yearly hours, she would be 0.25 WTE, leaving up to 0.75 of her post vacant for a job share partner. It sounds like any extra effort would be welcome giving them flexibility to appoint someone looking to do 3 or 4 days a week on average.

You've done nothing wrong OP, you've followed protocol and your flexible working request was agreed. Perhaps it pisses off your co-workers but that shouldn't be your problem. Continual gossiping about you is tantamount to bullying and I would remind them in no uncertain terms that if they don't stop you have grounds to raise a grievance against them. If they have a problem, they need to raise it through the correct channels. Gossip solves nothing.

I completely agree, but many orgs do have headcount budgets, not FTE (which are not the same thing).

They sound like horrid people. Fancy being unsupportive of a work colleague who has had to step into the massive role of foster parent. Wrong to bitch about someone when they are working hard in mutually agreed hours. There are ways round the problem if their workload is affected, the managers just need to think creatively. However the managers sound unprofessional and incapable of being solution focused.

Okay. Assuming you’re correct, how do the managers (presumably Directors) “think creatively” to cover 90% of the work of a Global Head of Accessibility without hiring any more people?

Answer: by saying “we tried it, it doesn’t work. We need you back at 80-100% FTE or we’ll have to make you redundant”.

Flexible working is a 2 way thing. It has to work for the business as well. This clearly doesn’t work. They knew it wouldn’t, which is why they turned it down in the first place. The OP must have made one hell of a fuss on appeal as the original post didn’t show any merit for the org of agreeing what OP wanted.

But they can change their minds, and now have the evidence to support the valid reason to reject so the OP will be pretty screwed at some point soon. Either when she makes a complaint or the noise from everyone else becomes so loud that senior management have to act. And it won’t be the OP that benefits in that scenario.