Where do part-time workers belong?

[Iggi999]

...other than the 7th circle of hell, possibly!
If I want advice should I be asking the SAHP's board or the WOHP's one? Or do I alternate depending on the type of question? Though really it's advice from other p-t working mothers which I'm looking for. (Do I need a whole other section?)
Apologies if this has been asked and answered already, I couldn't find anything about it.

These have specific implications for part-time workers.

Yes, I need a PT workers topic!

You know, that migh look snarky (totally unintentionally).

I mean I agree with you and feel all the issues you list, especially the promotion whilst part time, is it feasible, do I ever return to FT, if so when for example..

I only work one day a week, soon to be one and a half days a week with an MSc p/t every Saturday during term but I have to say I feel more like a sahp, particularly because I absolutely LOVE WORKING and if I could do more I would be delighted... when I worked 3/4/5 days with my other kids I felt more like a wohp. Temperamentally I'm more like a semi-employed wohp than a sahp though. I find the sahp thing really tough and my energy is often very low.

Even working part time, demands on time off will be completely different to a sahm because they have all week wohp might only have 4 3 or 2 days.
Why not post those questions in wohp? Some full time mums will have changed from part time so they could help.
No idea about bank holiday pay because I work every single one for my normal rate.
But surely other wohp would be more qualified to answer than sahp?

For me part time working is the best of both but that does very much rely on a supportive boss and flexible partner. Can totally understand how it might equally be the worst. Agree life is easier now I have increased my hours and promotion prospects probably better (though actually both of these might depend more on my ability to be flexible than full time hours) but perhaps life is also slightly less fun so it's swings and roundabouts.

Am on maternity leave now though woo!

But why not just have a part-time topic?

It's really interesting reading all your comments, incidentally!

Bacause we have a wohp topic. One of which you are if you work out of home.
There would still be people that don't fit in I work 35 hours a week which is not full time in my job but would be in other industries.

I think how much you work is irrelevant to this section.

Post in "employment issues" or "good housekeeping" if you're that fussed and getting The Very Most Accurate Specific Section

Ok, so why not just use "employment issues" and "good housekeeping" instead of SAHP and WOHP areas then, if they cover it?
I didn't think I was suggesting anything unreasonable at all, but if other part-time workers don't feel the need then that's fine, no need to be all hmm about it.

I work pt. I do more than my hours, every day... But every bit of work I do past my hours is flexible and my own choice.

I'm unbothered by promotion but I need and deserve as much training and cod as my ft colleagues. Although I'm only there part of the time ft workers are, the children I work with need me to be as knowledgeable and as up to date as possible in what I do for them. Despite being pt, I've never had a training request denied.

Ahem. For 'cod' read 'cpd'.

Auto. Correct...

And no, I don't think ptimers need their own board... Distinctions should be by thread and case, no new section needed. Would be like having an ASD or a Hearing Impairment sub board for SN. Not necessary imo.

iggi surely a topic in the wohp board would cover those things? It wouldn't be relevant to the SAHP board, and many women work or have in the past worked part time and now work full time. If you have specific employment issues, there is the employment board, but for general chit chat about combining work and home, which is what the new board looks like its going, this is the best place. I had a peek at the SAHP board but it wasn't relevant to me at all and I didn't relate to it. Somewhat strangely, as I have loads of SAHP friends IRL that I talk to all the time without thinking I had nothing to talk to them about IYSWIM!

I agree there's no need for some of the snippy responses on this thread. The OP was only starting a discussion.

Are there snippy responses?

I thought it was quite interesting.

I think if you over specialise the sections they just fall out of use.

The only reason (I think) that posters asked for a sahm board -which then led to a WOHM board - was that sahm issues on the main board were greeted with hostility.
The sahm board idea was to stop
'Help - I don't get a moment alone even to go to the loo and I'm so tired'
being replied to with
'Why don't you get a job' 'I would be brain dead talking about nappies all day' 'alright for you some one is paying the bills while you moan' etc etc.

I guess my suggestion would be FWIW, that a PT board is only going to be useful if PTimers get similar hostility if they post. Or if there are enough issues that really require separate consideration to keep a board active and not

Maybe a PT quiche thread?

But saying that, I don't matter. Obvs.

While I don't feel I fit fully into either SAHM or WOHP camps, I don't think there are enough p/t specific issues to warrant another section. I've never really found myself wanting to post about something and unable to find a reasonably suitable topic already. Some of the topics are so quiet already. I went back to Student Parents yesterday and found a thread I had started in Nov had had another reply in Mar and was still half way down the first page.

Well for example bumtum's was pretty sarcastic and accompanied by an unnecessary raised eyebrow face but maybe the tone was unintentional. It's fair enough thinking there isn't enough call for a part time topic though. A thread would perhaps be a good idea. Hey - we already have one

This is one of the most pointless threads ever

"how do you keep on track for a promotion when you're part time"

That's a million-pound question! In my observation it can be difficult, the people I've seen who have achieved it are excellent at their jobs; work for employers keen on flexibility; roles that are actually do-able part time; job share or work at least 80% of full time hours; do unpaid overtime a fair bit!

I don't think it's a pointless thread at all. There is lots written on specific challenges (and good things too) for PT workers. It's also a feminist issue since most PT workers are women.

My assumption is that many MNetters on this particular board will be doing paid work PT: expect we're in the majority of WOHMs on MN, so using this new topic seems fine to me.

See Duckdemon, I've seen that question asked before and the answer from many was "you can't, you need to go back full time like I did", or "part-time workers in my office are slackers" etc. So sometimes it is nice to ask other people in the same boat. Although (just to argue against myself) I did notice in a thread I was reading in SAHP that when a woman wasnt happy with the situation the other posters were suggesting ways to be more fulfilled at home, whereas the obvious answer to me seemed to be to get a job. So maybe it is not good to ghettoise ourselves at all, as we are at risk of only getting answers that confirm our current position, whatever that may be.

But in the other, other, hand; sometimes it's good to get support about the best way to do things from others in very similar situations.

Sorry to those of you finding the thread pointless, you don't have to post on it if you don't want to!

MN always provides quite diverse opinions eh.