Working part time - best days to do in your experience?

[Arcadia]

I have been back at work for over a year now but am thinking about changing my days. I have a 2y.o. DD and work 3 days per week. My original boss told me I had to do Monday Wednesday and Friday which has worked OK as I'm never in the office 2 days in a row which is nice, never away from DD 2 days in a row also nice for me and her, good for my clients who never have to wait more than day to speak to me, good for my colleagues don't have to cover for me so much. HOwever, it is hard switching on and off being a mum and being a professional, and the week can feel long and disjointed, so thinking about changing, and have new boss more flexible.

I know most people do three days in a row but am thinking Mon Weds Thurs so not out of office two days in a row. Just wondered what days other people do,what works for them, and if they've changed them?.

I do mon, wed , fri at the moment & like it. I run two bags & have work/home clothes so I don't feel like its a work day. I don't switch off but I'm on leave at the moment & haven't switched off , think its that sort of job

I work Wed, Thur and Fri. I prefer to have three consecutive days as I job share and find it's easier for consistency. I also like four days off in one go and the fact I never that Sunday night feeling. Only downfall is I don't benefit from Bank holiday Mondays.

I have done tues-thurs and Mon - Wed - I recommend both patterns as they allow you a nice long weekend!

The advantage of doing Tues-Thurs is that everyone else is going back to work and you aren't! It also means you don't exactly have 2 days in a row out of the office...sort of!

Doing Mon-Wed means that if you decide to go for a weekend away, you can get cheaper flights/trains/accommodation often for a Thursday night as opposed to Friday stay...

I work every morning and love it. Its great now my older DC has started school as I can be there for pick up every day. Also, the DCs have only ever been in nursery for 4 or so hours a day, so kind of more like playgroup than private nursery IYSWIM.

It has its downsides (getting up and out early every day, petrol and travel time), but the upsides (same routine every day for DCs, free for playdates/swimming lessons in the afternoon etc) outweigh them IMO. Also, as I have a management job, it is crucial for me to be in the office every day, even if only for 4 hours! I work different hours in the summer holidays (2 full and one half day) and although its nice to have the 2 free days, I find the long days tiresome, and miss the DCs.

Once both DCs are in school I hope to be able to change my hours very slightly so I work 9.30 - 1.30 rather than 8.30 - 12.30, so I can be there for school drop offs.

Working Mondays are good if you get bank holidays off...

But not if they come out of your holiday allowance!

I do Monday to Wednesdays, which is great as you finish your week so early. I have a friend who does Mon, Tuesday and Thursday, which works well as she gets the bulk of her work done at the beginning of the week, then finishes stuff up on the Thursday and sets herself up for the next week.

Lots of p/t people I know seem to have Wednesday off, I guess to split the week up.

I don't work wednesday because of a swimming lesson and my colleague doesn't work friday, so I usually work my 3 days around that, and am flexible about the days i go in.

I work tues to Friday. I get more annual leave due to all the BHs I miss out on. Works for me!

Like HarrietJones says, if you pick Mondays, look carefully in your HR handbook regarding bank holidays. We only get full bank holiday allowance if you work full time. Part time is pro rata. So you effectively must use your annual leave to cover some of the bank holidays. Not a very good thing.

Not if you work in my office. My job share works mon/Tue/Wed and benefits from all Bank Hols. I on the other hand benefit from Good Friday and that is all!

However i'd still rather do the end of the week and have Mon/Tues off. Town is so quiet for shopping on those days as is soft play etc.

My job share has a rota where we both do
2 x monday/friday/saturday morning
2 x tue/wed/thu

we share the bank holidays by being paid 1/2 pay each for each bank holiday

our old rota was messy and with bank holidays we had a % of the hours we worked - this caused some aggro at our other branch when one member of staff who always worked Monday could never get her head round not being paid for the day when her job share colleague who never worked a monday was being paid -

I do Mon, Tues and Thurs.

Mondays are good as I get Bank Holidays additionally and it's nice to have a day off with ds in the middle of the week. I do "hard stuff" at work on Tues and Thurs pm's as I know I can shimmy off into the sunset after it!

I sometimes wish all my days were together, but only rarely. Usually around holidays!

MTWF here

did try MTWT and long weekend but hated it- too much stress on THurdat

check your company's part time policy re: annual leave. I do tues/weds/thurs and get BH pro ratad so i effectively get an extra 6 days annual leave which is another 2 weeks off! (60% of the 9 days)

This might help you decide. I hate that i feel i don't see my DS for 3 whole days BUT it does help me separate 'work mum' and 'home mum'. Depends if your job is the sort of thing you take home or one you can just switch off from....

Good luck :)

Lots of school assemblies are held on a Friday so that's something you need to bear in mind.

I do Mondays and Fridays as they are the busiest days at work. I'd rather do the middle of the week, consecutive days. I hate going in on a Friday and having no idea what awaits me!

School things that require parents to go in, like assemblies, seem to be mostly on Fridays, sometimes Mondays, as I think less part-time people work then.

I do 21 hours flexibly. I'm currently doing 2 x10hr days days plus 1 hr emails etc (upside: get a lot done, minimises travel, downside: don't see DS at all on those days). Thinking about switching to 4 mornings (8am-1pm). More travel time but in the office for more days so people don't have to wait to catch up with me. Also, most of DS's activities are in the afternoon, so I would be able to go to all of them.

I'm a contractor so don't have annual leave issues as just get paid a daily rate

I do W/T/F because that works best around all the travelling DH does in his job (he's more likely to be around on a Friday to help with pick-ups/drop-offs). Really I'd prefer to work earlier in the week as Mondays are a bit boring round here toddler activity-wise (because so many people are at work!) and Fridays can be quite dull in the office as not so many people are in. But you seem to have a few more options in terms of childcare on a Friday as it's a less popular day and DD gets a lot more individual attention at nursery on Fridays as they don't have so many children in.

I'd try and work reduced hours on a Friday just so you can stay in the school loop.

But ultimately for me, it would dictated by the days the nursery have spaces. Most people like to have a Monday or Friday off which means that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are quite busy at the nursery. So my son gets more attention on a Monday and Friday (I have to work full time), and certainly they do more imaginative stuff (we definitely have more painted clothes on a Monday or Friday) when the nursery isn't quite as full.

Just a thought...

I've just looked into what days to work as i'm due back soon after M/L. As a part-timer, in most companies, your BH's will be pro-ratad depending on how many hours you work, added to your annual leave and then deduced as the hours you would normally work on that day. I'll be working 10hrs/3 days a week so i'd always have to give around 4hr of my own annual leave to cover each BH, whereas by not working on a Monday overall i'd be up on annual leave

Why do parents need to attend assembly? My ds doesn't start school until Sept but there is no way I can change my hours.

Parents don't normally need to attend assembly, but often (at least at some schools) there will be assemblies you are invited to attend because your child or your child's class is doing something special. And at DS's school at least those are always on Fridays.

Oh ok, let's hope my ds's school has his on a Monday then.