Condensed hours or part-time?

[SpringTime2023]

Hello everyone, we’re planning our back to work plan alongside nursery fees. We were looking at a 4-day work week, where I take one day off to look after baby.

However I’m interested to hear experiences over whether you’d recommend having an official part-time agreement, or exploring/negotiating condensed hours (e.g 8.30 - 5.30 with limited lunch break for 4 days) in order to maintain a full time salary? I mainly WFH so the commute isn’t an issue these days. I guess it’s a significant increase in wage, and I often end up doing more hours than contracted at the moment anyway (but not sure how sustainable with baby!). Thanks.

I opted for condensed hours but purely because I knew that would mean I’d get away with my normal hours over 4 days and not actually ‘have’ to work the extra.

But I work in a snr position where hours at my desk aren’t as important as output.

I opted for condensed hours 4 over 3 days then due to the organisation's working hours policy I still had 6 hours to make up whenever I could so evenings and weekends. It was awful tbh, felt like I was always working and always owed time but if it had just been set hours on set days it probably would have been fine. It was a good way to maintain my salary whilst having time with DD. Now I'm just 3 straight days a week which I prefer.

Yes, and no one is policing mine at the moment - I think also I’d be irritated if I did 9-5 but kept on logging on later in the evening to ‘finish stuff off’ when I wasn’t getting paid for it. I’d have to be extremely strict with myself.

I chose earlier starts as it was easier, so I do 6:30-17:00 but never log on until 8:30 and am usually logged off by 16:30 as that’s when most others are offline.

Go for condensed hours and be incredibly protective of your free time.

I've done both. Part time is tricky as no one to cover your stuff so I do keep an eye on emails and attend the occasional meeting on NWD but I can push back on things and say no because I am part time. When I compressed I was still needing to cover my own work on my NWD because I was full time and my responsibility, I found it really intense keeping on top of a full time job on fewer days tbh but I do have a highly pressured job where working extra hours is the norm (think paid for 37 but work 55) so cramming 37 hours into 4 days is easy but with the expected extra on top it was a nightmare. No one really monitored my hours but I'm public sector so capacity it tight and ultimately stuff needs to be done.

So you’re ripping your employer off to the tune of 2.5 hours per day?!

Hardly ripping off anyone, most in professional roles aren’t, in reality, tied to arbitrary set hours.

Some days I even work less hours, and I still get healthy bonuses and promoted when I came off my last maternity leave.

open your mind a little

I don’t work to set times either. Your post implied you were contracted to certain hours but don’t bother doing them all. That will almost certainly not be possible for the majority of people.

I would find condensed hours very difficult! I've un-condensed my hours so work 3.5 days over 4. For us it means we don't need to rush to get DCs ready for nursery every morning and can head off early enough that it's not a daily stress to cook, get DC ready for bed and all that, in time for a decent bedtime. We have had to live frugally for a few years to allow for less pay and nursery fees though.

I think the answer entirely depends on your financial obligations. If you can afford to work part time that would definitely be preferable but if you can’t then it’ll have to be condensed hours?

Most people have contracted hours, in reality they’re not set.

I’ve never worked in any role since the age of 19 where you have to work your contracted hours, most are a mere formality. That seems to be for low skilled or manual labour type working situations.

Depends where you are in regards to tax. My 5th day wouldn't have actually paid me that much so I just stuck to 4 normal days

I did condensed hours. 8am to 6pm four days a week.

Everyone else always wanted a Friday or Monday off but I loved not working on a Wednesday, as you never have to do more than two days at a time!

Yes I was thinking Wednesday or Thursday, as also - nursery would be quieter on Fridays so little one might get a bit more attention. Plus quieter in office too!

I wouldn't do a straight 4 days - everyone I know does feels like they just work their full job for less pay. If you do you need to be very clear with what the reduction in your work load is.

Try and get Monday off or it screws up your holidays

How that does work? If it’s a bank holiday, would you not get that off anyway, so you’d miss out if it was a NWD? Or do you accrue the day and take elsewhere?

It depends on your job
I went 4 days initially and hated it. I enjoyed time with DC, but ended up doing full time workload for 80% pay. I reduced my hours further and it was a good decision.

@LolaSmiles agreed.
I have a lot of autonomy in my role and WFH 2/3 days a week.
As long as I bring in the results I’m required to and I attend important meetings I can be as flexible as required hours wise.
However I have friends who have to do 5 days 9-5 in the office which I’d find impossible to do with my dog and a little one and allow my partner to keep working too.
Its a shame hybrid working hasn’t caught on in more places.

Your post implied you had set contacted hours of 6:30-5. Not that you need to deliver 42 hours worth of output in however long you like.

I’ve been in professional roles since I was 20, now very senior and it’s common for there to be done limits on what times can be worked.

I’d ideally like to work 6pm till 3am but that wouldn’t work for the business because there are around 80 people reporting to me.

That’s bollocks. You can’t be disadvantaged by working flexibly.

Yes, I have contracted hours, I don’t do them though. And this is quite normal in many professional roles.

I have 37 hours in my contract, I’ve never worked more than 30-32 in this role - and most likely never will

I'd you don't work Monday they have to give you extra holiday