Coming off ML on shorter hours - straw poll

[BlueKarou]

I've not even started ML yet, so this is a massively premature question, but I figured I'd ask anyway, just to see what people think.

I currently work a 37.5 hour week. Usually start at 10 and finish at 6 with a 30min lunch break.

I'm thinking of asking to drop my hours to 30 after ML. If you were doing that, would you go to a 4 day week, or would you continue a 5 day week but work, say, 10 - 4:30 with a 30min lunch?

I was erring toward the 4 day week and having an extra day with the baby, are there any advantages to the shorter days option that I'm not seeing. Childcare will be covered mostly by family members, so the cost of it isn't really factoring in to my decision.

With DS 1 I went back on full days, three days a week, simply due to crèche provision. Tbh the days were really long for both of us by the time the commute was added in, and it was miserable in the winter. And having two days out the office really interrupted the flow of work and I ended up checking emails on my days off.

With DS2 I am going back at 80 per cent (more than with DS1), but over five days with the aim of having shorter days in child care, being able to commute outside rush hour, and making things a bit smoother at work. We will see how it goes....

I personally prefer whole days off rather than shorter days. Then you can have a whole day of quality time instead of just the morning rush and bedtime routine.

How long is your commute - if you finish at 6 will you be home in time for bath/ bedtime? Could you start earlier (9.30-5.30) or is that when your company opens?

Commute is about 10 minutes; less in good weather and with good traffic lights. Am very fortunate to have such a short commute (yet another reason I'm sticking with that job even if I don't love it)

I'm thinking I could really be swayed either way - the 4 full days would give me a lovely 3 day weekend as I would ask for Fridays off - it's the quietest day in the office - but the days would be long and exhausting, and I would have to get my Mum to do dinner time as it's not fair once baby hits toddler age to expect them to wait for something rushed at 6:30.

Shorter days would mean I get to do all the morning/evening stuff, but would mean only the weekends at home.

While they are small I'd do 4 long days and have a full day with the baby/toddler if childcare costs are not a factor. Shorter days over 5 days will be very helpful once they are at school!

Can I just say that you always need to have a back up childcare plan if you are relying on relatives. My Mum was fit and healthy and did childcare for my sister. My Mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer from a routine mammogram and died 2 months later. No symptoms.

Luckily my niece and nephew were in primary school and the youngest was 7 so my Dad took over but he couldn't have done this if they were babies or toddlers.

Re your work, I would have one full day off, feels more productive. I worked part time and the latter part of the week so when everyone had Monday blues I had the day off. But fit in with your business needs.

So sorry about your mum, Narcheska

The more I've thought about this, the more I've convinced myself that, once the baby's a bit more mobile and able to interact with others, I want him/her to go to nursery at least one day a week, so would then possibly be able to up nursery hours if needed. But that does leave 6 months where they'll be full time with my Mum with no easy back up.

My work is quite flexible and would let me work from home/take some short notice leave in case of an emergency. As with you, I don't think my Dad or Step Dad (Mum's husband) would want to take the baby for a full day at a young age, so it would be a case of finding an emergency childminder/nursery spot at very short notice.

Definitely something I'm going to need to put more thought into before the time comes.

One day off and four at full hours seems the sensible route; possibly then to change as baby grows up.

Just check that you can get to nursery in time for collection if you finish at 6pm. Not many nurseries are open beyond 6pm (perhaps then you might have to change to say 9-5?).

Just one other point - I think to be prepared that most employers will not employ someone else to do the day you're not there, and probably won't reduce your work load either. You'll probably end up doing a full time job in 4 long days / 5 short days. Factor up some nighttime waking, and the need to be super organised and it is really difficult. Good luck

Fewer days. Looking ahead, it makes school holidays easier.

I went back four full days and our special Friday together was the highlight of our week, we always did something fun on a Friday, it was definitely not a day for doing chores etc. It worked really well for us and I enjoyed the 3 day weekend and not having to book the Friday off if we were going away for the weekend etc.

He has just started school and I'm back to doing 5 days but the same number of hours, so I can do most of the school drop offs and pick ups. Thankfully I have a very flexible employer.

I'm going back (on Friday ) on 21 hours reduced from 35. I'm doing these over 3 full days. To me it makes sense as I get to spend those 2 full extra days with DS. He's going to nursery which charge the same for a full day as they do for, say, a half 3 pick up so there's no financial benefit.
I couldn't actually do my job very effectively in a short day anyway, I would probably then need to work from home so would completely defeat the point. So for me it was a no brainer but all circumstances are different.

When he goes to school it's going to be different. I may consider short days to enable school runs, making up the extra time from home in the evenings, so going back up to full time in reality.

What I'm really going to work on over the next 3 years is persuading my boss to give me a term time only contract. I didn't realise they existed outside of a school job but when I was completing my flexible working request this was one of the options. Still can't see her agreeing though!

When I went back after ML and DS was only a year old I started off by using up accumulated annual leave one day a week, then moved to a permanent 4 day week. DH worked from home one day a week so we only had to pay for 3 days of childcare.

Since DS started school I have done 4 shorter days and 1 full day, DH still works from home on my full day to do the school run.

A word of caution though, now DS is in year 2 and loves the before and after school club I want to increase my hours back to 40 again and my boss won't let me. I could do with the extra income but it seems I've proven too well that my job can be done in a 30 hour week so I'm stuck with it.

Is there any way you and your partner can each do a share of the reduction in hours? Either concurrently or consecutively? That way you can share the hit in any lost income or career progression?

I think that sadly regardless of which option you choose you'll do 100% of the job for 80% of the salary, 80% of the holiday entitlement and a lot of snide comments about "part-time" workers.

I meet a lot of women who go back FT fairly quickly as a result. But it depends on the office environment, the remuneration and whether it's simply a job that pays the bills or whether you are trying to climb the greasy pole.

I don't mean to be/sound bitchy but are you really describing a 10-6 working day with a 10 min commute as "long and exhausting" ? Lots of people work a compressed week and work 37.5 over 4 days

If you do a 9-5 you will have breakfast with your child every day and an evening meal [of sorts anyway if your Mum gives him/her a big meal at lunchtime] ?

Gosh; lots of replies. Thanks all for the advice/insight. General consensus seems to be that 4 full days would be better than 5 short days, which I think I agree with.

I don't think there would be too much of an issue with being expected to do 100% of the work in 80 of the time. There are several people in the team who do the same things I do and, due to the nature of the work (we're effectively a support department) I should be able to pick up proportionately fewer jobs and make the 4 days work.

No partner, AnnPerkins, so all income and career progression hits will be mine, but I knew that going in to this. The worry about not being able to go back up to a 37.5 hour week is something I didn't think of. I'm hoping my longevity in this place and the effort I currently put in will be remembered by my line manager (assuming she's still in post when I return.)

Yes, Tread, I think I will find working 10 - 6 once I have a small child to be long and exhausting. I am assuming I will have some degree of sleep deprivation, especially in the first year, hopefully not so much as the child gets older. I will not have a partner to hand said child over to at any point, so I'll be providing 100% of their care when not at work, and I have other responsibilities outside of work and motherhood. I don't doubt that other people will have it harder; working longer shifts or just more hours than I will have, but that doesn't negate the fact that I am setting my expectations firmly at the level of 'things will be hard, sleep will be scarce and doing a full day of work alongside a full morning/evening of childcare will be rather tiring'.

A 9-5 day is something to think about. I'd discounted it because my Mum's just leaving a job where she starts work at 11, and has her dogs to walk in the morning, I think it would be easier for her if I keep to my current hours rather than dropping the child off before 9, as she would have to adjust her routine to fit to mine, which seems unfair given how generous she's being with the offer of childcare.