Would you go 4 days in my situation?

[FrazzledCareerWoman]

Regret not being around when DD was small. DS just turned 3, I could go 80 percent and have more time with him & save a day of childcare also.

BUT. I will be doing all my work in 4 days and getting paid 80 percent. There is no chance of agreeing compressed hours because we are on salary with no fixed hours (usually I work 50+ hours a week and 1-3 hours extra on a Sunday to catch up).

I can afford it I just worry that I will end up working the 5th day at other times (eve/weekend) but suffer a 20 percent pay cut.

Has anyone successfully done this and how did you manage it?

Do you mean you'd have to do the same amount of work for 80% pay?

Or would you be doing 80% of the work you're doing now? How likely, given your job, is that to happen?

It can work, but it needs clear terms and conditions. It will depend on the nature of your work/your colleagues/management etc.

I understand it that op will be doing 5 days workload in 4 days and only get paid for 4 days work but she will get an extra day a week with her child.

Won't you get fewer clients/cases whatever it is you work with?

@cushioncovers

I understand it that op will be doing 5 days workload in 4 days and only get paid for 4 days work but she will get an extra day a week with her child.

If you're still doing a full time workload then you should get a full time salary. Completing a full time workload in fewer days is compressed hours and there is no pay difference.

I wouldn't take a 20% paycut to have to complete the same workload, no. That's exploitation.

I've tried it, it's not easy when you work in an overtime culture and historically you haven't complained about it or mentioned the shortage of staffing repeatedly to management.

It comes down to how strong your willpower is, and what you are like as a person. If you are absolutely committed to doing your hours, then switching off, things might work out. You need to signpost to people that is what you plan to do. If you do any overtime at home, you have to do it offline and don't respond to emails.

Why don't you try working to rule for a month, and not doing the overtime, see how that feels? It might make you very unhappy when you initially realise you are not on top of everything, but then you MIGHT have a breakthrough and work out what you can get away with not doing, push back on, delegate up or down.

Also, has anyone else in your workplace done it? Have you asked them about it? What is your manager like? Can you gave a realistic conversation about reducing your workload, and be able to push back time and again if the agreement isnt honoured?

You may have to fight for it, repeatedly. I remember a notable occasion my ultimate boss decided he HAD to have a conversation with me on my day off, whilst I was in a soft play frame! You can imagine how well that went. I went in the following week and gave him what for. He never did it again.

I will be doing 5 days work in 4 days, although I can try to delegate a bit more, it will not be 80 percent of the work. I've kind of reached the point where I'm considering just accepting that.

There is no way for me to "prove" that I will do 100 percent of my role, we are evaluated on outcomes not hours.

@Pastrydame

Won't you get fewer clients/cases whatever it is you work with?

The nature of my work is never ending

I am in a senior position. Companies talk about it being possible to be part time or flexi and be successful / senior but once you are, the job simply doesn't work like that.

I wouldn't do this then, no.

I'd argue for compressed hours or look for a new job.

Honestly, I wouldn’t. I think you will become bitter that you are doing the same work for less pay. It will also impact any bonuses and quite possibly progression as well.

No I wouldn’t do this. I do a four day week and I find it extremely hard to keep to my hours and that is with an acknowledgement that I should have a reduced workload (whether I actually do, I question sometimes). I would not take 80% pay for 100% work and I don’t think your work should ask this of you. Either it’s compressed hours and you keep all your pay or it is 80% and they need to adjust your workload and targets.

If by any chance you're in academia, I'd strongly suggest not doing it. Colleagues who have tried this have found, as you say, they end up doing just the same work, only without childcare for the extra day, and get mom-tracked and loads of eyerolling from ft colleagues into the mix, essential meetings on their non contracted days etc.

Thanks for all your responses. I know it seems mad. Just slogged away for years and finally got to where I want to be, now would like a bit more balance (without losing my hard earned role). May talk to them about what could be possible at year end.

Not academia. Finance

I think similar in terms of misogynistic attitudes and expectations of performance not shifting with life factors (but at least in finance there are pay bonuses!). Have you a sympathetic person in a more senior role of even in HR that you could arrange a scoping chat with, out is this too risky?

I totally get it. We have several people in my company who work reduced hours in senior positions, but the reality is they all fulfil full time roles and get paid for part time hours.

Is it right? No. But it's the way it works. As head of department roles their work cannot be delegated.

And they are all women.

My advice would be to be very clear on your hours and try to stick them as much as possible. There is always work to be done, but that's the case for many people and it's just work. It can wait.

There is no way for me to "prove" that I will do 100 percent of my role, we are evaluated on outcomes not hours.
So it would need to be your outcomes that are adjusted? Surely part of the benefit of achieving your senior role is a bit of flexibility and not working 6 days a week as you're doing now.

@Pastrydame yes , it's just quite hard to do this without giving up my leadership role which I don't want

@CoffeeCake23 yep exactly. They say it's possible but it's always a full time job for less pay

@CorporeSarnie yes I should be able to do this , they're quite open minded to discuss these things even if not executable in reality!

I would try and get clear about what more time for your DS (and for yourself) looks like. What are your boundaries. Maybe it’s stopping doing any work on the weekend so you have two full days? Or starting to only work your hours. If you can’t do that then you are likely to find yourself doing the same work you are now for no pay.

Surely if you're evaluated on outcomes and not hours and you'd be doing the same work anyway you need to go in from an approach of flexible office hours and compressed working. I know you said compressed working 'doesn't work' because you don't have set hours but they can't have it both ways of having you tied to the desk for the whole week with no flexibility whilst also expecting you to be entirely flexible with weekend working and finishing any work that isn't completed in office hours.

Don't for goodness sake agree a 20% pay cut for doing the same work over 4 days instead of 5.

Thanks, currently I don't work in the evenings past 6/7 (successful boundary setting) so I tend to do a couple of hours on a Sunday instead, but yes I could try to be stricter about not doing that.

I guess what I'm craving is the mental freedom of an extra day without needing to work; although it may not be so relaxing if expectations are not adjusted ..

The other alternative is do this for two more years then totally change my role to something that has fixed hours. But I feel so frustrated that it's impossible to do a senior role in less that FT/OT. And I keep saying "oh two more years" & I really want to be around more as he starts school etc.

@TrashKitten10 yes exactly and informally they let me manage my hours how I like (if I needed to disappear for a couple of hours to run an errand or something no one would question me) but it's on their terms ie if it's quiet that's possible while if there is something huge going on then I'd need to be around regardless.

Unintentional strike through there !

@FrazzledCareerWoman

I am in a senior position. Companies talk about it being possible to be part time or flexi and be successful / senior but once you are, the job simply doesn't work like that.

I know what you mean. I don’t work at the moment but have had senior positions in multinationals, the last of which was Head of department. Had I wanted to go to four days, there is no way any of my actual responsibilities would have been taken away, although of course I would have delegated attendance at certain meetings should they occur on my day off. But ultimately, e.g. anything needing final review or sign off, would in the main sit and wait for me to return.

That said, it is still one less day in the office. And despite my overall responsibilities not being reduced by a fifth, my physical attendance is and in fact it is certainly something that I would have liked if I had thought it was a possibility.