Help me find business reasons for my request to drop hrs?

[Millybingbong]

Im on a temporary contract at a senior level (mat cover). I currently work 4 days a week.
I only want to work 3.

I'm about 6 months in which is half way.

The role has been reasonably interesting, but I know the post holder is coming back and I am not particularly keen to work in the org longer term.

I have found the work easy and have implemented lots of efficiencies. The organisation does not want to expand strategically at this stage. I do have enough to and I am bored.

But it is hard to phrase a request that is not "I don't have enough to do and I am bored"!

Any suggestions?

"Due to the efficiencies I have implemented, the workload has reduced?"

This might have a longer term impact, eg on the person returning from mat leave though!

Why was the job arranged over 4 days in the first place? Was it simply because the post holder did those days (and is there someone who covers any other days) or was it to accommodate a particular workflow or requirement? If the role includes responding to something that arrives four days a week then it might be tricky to change.

I sm finding that I can cover the work in 3 days so is that an option for you because it will save you 25% of what I am costing you.

Thanks all. It has been approved. I just told my manager I didn't have enough to do; we had touched on it before so it was easy ish.

The trickier step is now telling the team without uttering those words.

It was an advert for full time. I negotiated them down to 4 at interview and the real postorder said I wouldn't be able to do it in 4. The whole team needs a full review of function andoes form and there are a few issues which have been raised so far.

I feel you have grown whilst I've been here and you have absorbed work that has been delegated?

Changes in operational processes have reduced workload for the current project/foreseeable future?

So the post holder will return to find you've changed a five day week into three ....what are her legal rights I wonder.

The original pot holder could be given more work!

The business isn't a charity...

It is a charity as it happens!

It is her right to return on her previous t&cs. If I were the organisation I would either make the role redundant or would add the role to another and get both postholders to apply. It isn't up to me though.

It's really interesting because they are going to make redundancies where I am, there's quite a lot of "feast or famine" so a restructure is needed

However, it just seems that's up to the people who do it. My team recently had a mat leave cover who was constantly asking for work because she had nothing to do, but she only asked around the team, never the manager. She accepted boredom partly because it's the full wage but also, she was aware that saying she didn't have to do would be horrible if the hours were cut for the woman retuning.

Op is bored and doesn't even want to keep working there so I just wonder if the woman will return to a very different job with fewer hours and less pay, which in turn made me wonder what her legal position would be. Meanwhile, op will have reduced someone's role and then wanders off elsewhere. Business is business but even I balk a bit at this and I'm not well known for being soft.

Returning not retuning.

So OP, strategically, you must be getting a good reference for saving them money etc?

A good reference would be good. I jut need a part time job at my level locally to apply for.

I would also have got a good reference for being good at my job, I rather there wud be a little more I could say I have done in the role.

My loyalty is towards the organisation that contracted me.

I can't abide being bored either. I think it's quite often natural when someone new comes along they can see a different way of working plus they don't have the catch up chats with colleagues in the same way as they are new etc.

Hopefully the maternity leaver will ask to go part time - would be a good solution!

At least if the Mat Leave returner wants to do 3 days they are more likely to say yes.

Alternatively she may come back, appreciate the efficiencies and find herself with a day or two to use in another department/training/promotion etc.

Are all the posters on this thread quite senior at work?

Nope I'm not, just happened to have roles with a reasonable amount of autonomy and like to understand how my role works in relational to the rest of the organisation.

Technology moves on and often processes haven't kept up or the reasons for doing x no longer exist but it's just never been questioned.

No, I'm a SAHM but have worked in HR so that's why I was asking about the job arrangements that were made when the OP took up the post. A bit of background often helps to see if there are any obvious reasons why it may not work (but obviously not in this case!).