Making a case for part-time hours in probation meeting

[Redqueenheart]

I recently started a new role with a big national charity.

I would like to make a case, once I have passed my probation period, for the role to be 4 or 3 days a week.

This is a new fully remote role so the organisation was not 100% sure as to what would be required and how the role would be shaped when I took it on, and I can see that there is not really a need for someone to do 5 days a week in this post.

Has anyone successfully managed to make a similar case?

I have two line managers and one of them (a man) works 4 days a week so this is not unusual in the organisation.

I have some health issues (not a disability) that although currently don't prevent me from working can make things harder for me. Although being fully remote already help, having a day off would allow me to spend more time on managing my condition.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

I think the charity would happily look to reduce your salary down if the role really isn't needed FT and you can justify why it can be done in X time, how you would see it working for business continuity etc (eg what happens when you're not there and something urgent comes up?) The fact that this is a new role that they weren't sure how it would work and the resource needed will help you.

But I wouldn't raise it in the probation meeting for the first time. Have you spoken to your managers before about needing more work or not having enough on? I'd be annoyed if someone hadn't raised it before.

Or can you show that you've spent the last 6 months (in my charity probation experience!) setting up processes, policies etc that now they are in place and mean that the workload will reduce to 3/4 days but the function can operate smoothly?

This is not a role that would ever deal with any kind of emergency. It is mainly an internal and corporate comms role with basic responsibilities.

I think the default setting was just to hire someone full time rather than having really thought in details about the workload.

Anyway my decision is made to request a 4 day week because having now been in the role for a bit I can't see myself doing this full-time long term.

The other option is to stick to it for a few more months if the request is denied while looking for a part-time role somewhere else.

How long will you have worked there before you are planning to request this?

Legally, they only have to consider a flexible working request after 26 weeks employment.

Although of course there’s nothing stopping you asking before that, they just don’t have to consider it or give one of the “allowed” reasons for refusing it.

@PinkFrogss less than 26 weeks but I feel that if I don't raise this at the probation meeting it will become an established pattern.

Having now seen the reality of the role this is not a company or a job I want to be in full-time. Seems most of the time is wasted in pointless meetings which is so often the case with charities unfortunately and I am not enjoying it at all.

So I want to make the case for part-time or I will have to start looking for alternatives.

I would have thought any company and especially a charity would be happy to reduce their salary expense. So if you feel that there is insufficient work to require full time just say that. No need to bring your health into it or the unnecessary meetings, just say you feel the work can be managed in three / four days a week. They should be delighted.

Actually things have changed since my initial post. I have realised this is just not the right role or the organisation full stop.

I have started job hunting again for part-time roles and will tell them I am resigning at the probation meeting. The charity is paralysed by bureaucracy and meetings and the role is not at all what I expected.