Annoyed with boss, but even more annoyed with myself for being feeble.

[Beetle73]

My boss decided to start discussing something with me at 4.55 this afternoon. I said that I had to head off in about 5 minutes (as usual). She said, sort of jokily, but with a hint of seriousness, 'Beetle, you really need to get that partner of yours collecting DD from nursery.' At which point I kind of smiled and nodded ruefully.

Really annoyed with myself for being so feeble. I mean, I'm glad I didn't tell her to xxxx off, but OTOH really wish I'd just not replied. I work very hard when I'm in the office, I always do stuff from home if it's needed, I'm always contactable on my mobile and I do lots of travelling for work. I know that my DP is a lazy, unhelpful, unreliable arse, and she has obviously got an inkling that this is the case, but what business is it of hers, given that I put a lot into the job anyway?

I do like the woman, but I think she's losing sight of the boundary between work and home - I'll run my home life as I choose, and she has no reason to criticise until it really affects my work, as opposed to simply making me leave on time.

Deep breath...

I was once in a meeting with myself, my boss and a workmate, who had to go and collect his DD, he was already 10 mins past finishing time when he said he had go, after he left my boss said " that boy needs to sort his priorities out" to which I said "he has!" and go up and walked away

ooooh - a work rant!!!

I'm exactly the same - nod with a very forced smile on my face. They must know i'm pi**ed off about it.

In answer, its none of her business. And if it continues I would probably force myself to tell her that. I would also maybe add that you finish work at 5 so there is no need for anyone else to pick DD up - work to live, don't live to work!

My biggest gripe with my employer is that boss ALWAYS brings the words 'part-timer' into EVERY instance. And I mean EVERY.

GRRRRR

The other day I had to tell this woman that another of our colleagues (a man), couldn't go on an overnight trip because his wife already had a business trip planned and so he had to stay home with the children.

This really stopped her in her tracks. She wanted to be hacked off about this chap being unavailable, but she couldn't justify it at all, because her own husband does so much of the same. YOu could hear the frustration in her voice at not being able to go off on one.

seb1 - FANTASTIC STUFF!!!

Your boss is probably just jealous that you have a good reason to leave on time. Grrrr on your behalf.

when i went back to work when my ds(12) was 1.5, i had these sort of comments daily. the worst thing was that the majority of the staff were women.

Really? Do these women have children of their own? Must admit that the only people making the comments in my workplace are men. Its got to the stage that i'm beginning to think they think i am crap at my job cos i'm 'only part-time'. Can't possibly do it properly if i'm not there five days a week for 40 hours can I?????

Keep the boundaries strong.

I ended up on a work training trip on ds1's 3rd birthday. I had stated at the inerview, when asked if I could travel away, that I could as long as it wasn't for example, the childrens birthdays. And they STILL sent me. I tried to argue, got batted down and gave up. I will regret missingt hat day forever.

At last fellow mums annoyed with the worlds attitude to flexible workers!! I went back part time after having my lo and managed to only drop my hours by 25% - I've been treated very differently by my colleagues since returning even though some of them have children and know its difficult balancing the 2. What gets me is I leave at lunchtime 4 days a week and they all say ooo have a nice afternoon, lucky you like I'm going to have a facial or something!!!!! I don't go home and put my feet up I put my mum hat on and get on with the other 100 tasks I have to get on with grrrrrrrr!!!!!!

I'd also like to say that I bet you work harder now than you did when you were FT?????

i have also worked in places where my boss has reluctantly given me time off to take my sons to the doctors or whatever, yet laughed when a male staff member phones in sick with a hangover

Yes!! A lot bloody harder!!

I have actually started referring to my three working days as my 'days off'. When I say 'ahh day off today' on entering the office, I get some funny looks and snide remarks but I remind them that once I go home i'm on the job 24/7.

And ANYONE who still lives at home with mummy and has the CHEEK to say they're TIRED....well thats another rant!!!!

errr 24/7 would be wrong wouldn't it DUH I mean 24/4!!!!!!!

it feels like a hard slog sometimes.

Out of order imo. She is overstepping the boundaries, I agree. I wouldn't ask about or question any details of my employees personal lives, it's not my place to do so.

btw, dh and I both work ft oth and I drop in the morning and dh collects them in the evening. So I can work late but I absolutely can't get in early. I've recently declined meetings for this reason, they shouldn't have invited me to a meeting at 8.30am imo but hey, I didn't go anyway and they were forced to change it to 9am. Quite right too.

The attitude to flexible/part time workers is atrocious. What gets me is that there are so many of us, I just dont understand why its considered in such a negative light.

A part timer (phrase I hate anyway) is viewed as either less important or a slacker. The truth is part-timers always feel like they have to play catch up just to be on an even keel with full timers.

I had issues like this with my ex-boss. I went from full time to part time. During a "discussion" about my being "allowed" unpaid leave he told me that the problem with my taking unpaid leave is that I still have my annual leave and that I have enough time off as it is now im part time

Yes, because working part time is like having time off isnt it? Oh, except you arent paid for that "time off" - WTF are some people on?

Hardly surprising im taking ex-employers to tribunal for just such an attitude.

Agree grumpy. There is a huge assumption amongst employers and colleagues that if you are a part time worker or choose to work part time, then you are less committed, or you don't have any career aspirations.

Makes me

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VVV - good on u for going to tribunal, seems even tho people are slated for working part-time after having children they have a good strong case against discrimination.

Oops - can't believe boss said that to you what a p**ck. Well done for answering back tho, I always think of good things to say afterwards which of course is not much use!

At the end of last year I had to take half a day's unpaid leave when ds was sick. Half a day in the 9 month's since maternity leave. My boss then had a talk to me about how "of course I have children too, and I understand what it's like (yeah right, I'm pretty sure dp wasn't working ft when theirs were small!) but you need to make sure you save enough annual leave days for emergencies". Grrrrr. The most frustrating thing - 2 months before I'd had so much annual leave left I was negotiating carrying over 10 days, but then I used it all because the noise in the crap workplace they have found on the cheap gave me headaches and I was exhausted. Didn't want to take too many sick days so I took holiday - and that was the result.

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Agree with that oops. I love my job but feel so angry - I've bent over backwards for them in previous years and just cos I now have a son and want to see him growing up as well as have a career i'm a complete shit! Well I plan to have at least one more baby in the future so they'll try their best to fu*k up my return then as well I bet.

i have waged all 0out war on my work this week!!
they didnt pay me yesterday (again.. 5th month in a row now) so i turned round and said i couldnt pay my childminder so i could come into work again until they paid me.. then i said "see you next year"

pissed them right off!! lmao