Sharing of workload

[wakemeupwhenitisover]

Posting here in the hope of getting some perspective. A colleague and I both work in the same department and both work 4 days. I have been given more classes and lessons - hence more planning, marking, reports and parents evenings etc. This same colleague keeps complaining to me that her workload is unmanageable - I just smile politely whilst seething that she is seeking sympathy from me when I have more work to do. I have kept my mouth shut up until now and just got on with things but there was talk last week of reducing this colleagues teaching timetable further - widening the gap between our workloads. I now feel that I have to raise this matter for the sake of my mental health if nothing else but I am worried that I will sound like a spoilt 5 year old screaming, ‘It’s not fair!’

We’re all able to cope with different workloads. I was signed off sick from work last year but I am full time. This year, my partner teachers (both part time) often complain about workload. One of them works four days and has SLT responsibilities as well and she looks after me. One sorts herself and still whinges about her two days. I remind her that I work two and a half times as much as her. Her weekend is my working week.

Why are you teaching more classes and more lessons than your colleague if you're paid for the same amount of hours? That's not right at all. I assume 4 days is 0.8 of a full timetable, so you should each have 0.8 of the timetable filled with lessons.

I would have to say something. If you've both got the same part time contact it should be for the same number of lessons. (Is she perhaps contacted for 0.6 but spread over 4 days? That's the only way i can think of being able to justify her having fewer lessons than you)

Do they have any additional responsibilities or TLR posts that could underpin this?

Sadly, I have worked with someone who managed to have issue after issue with things:
Too much marking - same as everyone else and already been reduced
Too much planning - lots of shared material to use but they chose not to
Issues with this class and that class that they never took ownership of - had that class moved to someone else
Issues with another class - change of groups again
I could go on but it would be outing.

It placed a totally unfair burden on everyone else, but it meant keeping a body in the school which was preferable in the current climate. I have to admit, it changed my view of them as they always seemed to be able to weasel their way of out everything.

You probably should be aware that there could be other background reasons too, but equally there is a chance they're used to being awkward and getting their own way.

All you can do is speak to your HoD about your workload and then how such discrepancies are affecting your ability and motivation to pull together.

I think this hinges on whether you are a) paid the same and b) if reducing her workload means increasing yours.
If the answer is yes to either of those then by all means object, bit if not, I'd say nothing.

No we are both working the same number of hours. I am such a doormat - at first I just tried to think ‘Does it really matter?’ and ‘Just worry about what you’re doing not anyone else.’ But last week really brought things to a head and I now feel consumed by the perceived unfairness!

My colleague does get paid more than me but that is probably the case in other jobs.

Paid more as being on different points on the pay scale or paid more as in they have additional responsibilities?

No additional responsibility. We do the same job. Not sure why she is paid so much more. She has been there longer and I accepted the salary that I was offered when I took the job - so only myself to blame really!

But you know as well as I do that a normal "Teacher of Subject" job goes from M1-UPS3 so different people in a teacher job on different pay points is fairly normal.

I don't think you can bring pay into it personally. All you can do is convey how you are feeling to the relevant people whilst being aware that they may have extra information that they can't share with you.

Totally agree about not bringing pay into it - only mentioned it because of a comment made by a previous poster. I am going to put on my big girls pants and express how I am feeling. Even if nothing changes I will know that I have addressed the issue - which will help my self esteem.

Beingatwatitsabingthing I don't agree with your point about part time teachers not being able to complain of overwork. So a colleague works two days a week - presumably she gets paid for only two days a week - so if her workload for those two days is excessive then why would she not be unhappy? She is not meant to be dividing those days over the other, unpaid days!

Her workload isn’t excessive for those two days. She doesn’t none of the extra responsibilities that come with being a teacher. Her job share does them all.

Are you having to take on extra work to compensate for your colleagues reduced workload?
I think that you would be fine saying that you have enough to do and can’t do any more.
Or even that you have too much to do and can’t cope so need a reduction.
But I don’t think you can legitimately complain about your colleagues reduced workload.
Well not officially anyway. You are welcome to complain on here!
I feel your pain - I have a couple of colleagues on massively reduced timetables for no pay reduction. It doesn’t seem fair does it?

I think you can bring pay into it if she gets more than you but does less and has no extra responsibilities.

aderyn
Even if it's a case of one person being M3 and the other M5, but both are classroom teachers?

I think we've got to be careful about bringing pay into it when the MPS for classroom teachers is for classroom teaching, not taking on responsibilities.

I sympathise with OP if it is a situation of complaining person gets reduction, but think it's worth considering there may be other factors too. I've tried writing examples but can't suitably anonynise them for here.

I think you should definitely say something. I used to have as many lessons over 4 days as full time staff had over 5. It was awful. Sadly complaining didn't get me anywhere I've only solved the issue by going back to full time so I'm not being exploited. But definitely make your views known.

I have now raised the issue and was met with a stare that I’m surprised didn’t turn me to stone! It has been agreed that it will be looked at sometime in the future. There now seem to be lots of department conversations going on behind my back and I feel like a bit of a pariah. I have spent my life being a bit of a doormat. I have no idea why now, at my great age, I don’t want to be a doormat anymore - but I really don’t! Dreading next week but will try and go in and hold my head high.

Good for you OP. We all need to stand up for ourselves a bit more. SLT rely on us being doormats and accepting the situation.

Thank you. All rather frosty today - hope I don’t live to regret opening my mouth. 🙁

You have done the right thing by speaking up.

The only person you should be concerned about is you. If your colleague isn't coping then SLT should support them. But this doesn't mean piling more work on to you.

But are they actually going to DO anything about the issue you raised?

This same colleague keeps complaining to me that her workload is unmanageable - I just smile politely whilst seething that she is seeking sympathy from me when I have more work to do. I have kept my mouth shut up until now and just got on with things

Why?
Why didn't you ask, in the first place, for it to be clarified how much a 0.8 contracted person should be teaching, as there seems to have been a mistake in the timetabling.
The more you "accept" the more you are likely to be put upon.
If you are paid for 0.8 you should be teaching 0.8 of a FT teaching timetable.

It's good to ask the question.

The only way it would be frosty is if they're really immature, or if your discussion was largely "but it's not fair..."

If your timetable is 0.8 and you've got 0.8 and associated PPA then that's your timetable and reasonable to raise. If your workload is being increased beyond what is reasonable (in general or to accommodate the changes) then that's reasonable to raise

If it's "but they get to do less than me for more money" when it's fairly standard for classroom teachers to be at different points on the pay scale then that could easily sound petty (however justifiable your gripe - and I know the feeling because I've worked with someone who always complained their way to an easy life).

Well it has become clear that nothing is going to be done. In fact there was talk today of adding to my workload. I have come home in tears. I feel so let down by my department - who don’t care or aren’t interested because it’s not them who is affected.

You poor thing OP.

Ultimately it's a manager issue rather than a department one because they are the ones who make the call on task allocation.

If you're not in a position to change things then it is unlikely to get better. Ignore talk of your workload from anyone other than you head of department and in the meantime you might have to keep your eyes peeled for somewhere else