Why can't I have a decent, responsible job for three days a week?

[nelliesmum]

I used to be a Department Manager, since my dd was born I'm a glorified administrator. Same grade, same money so I'm supposed to be grateful.

Jobshare?

It's wrong isn't it, nelliesmum. it's an assumption that because you're part time, you can't do a proper job. And they're entitled to change your job if you want to go back part time. Grrr...

Gender discrimination really.

No, they told me I couldn't do my old roll as it needed to be done full-time, I had a half-decent project between my two maternity leaves but now I get any old rubbish that no-one else wants to do. I keep getting told that I don't want the stress of responsibility.

Is it actually true that your old job couldn't be done PT? Surely even when you were FT you were unavailable sometimes - in meetings/on holiday/on other sites? What did they do then?
[obviously this is totally unhelpful to your current situation but I am curious and have a bit of a bee in my bonnet at the moment about needless pre-judging that certain roles cannot possibly be filled other than FT]

They're telling you that you don't want responsibility?

More fool them if you have abilities above what you're doing and they're not making the most of you. However, if you really feel annoyed about this attitude, and that it's holding you back, time to talk to someone about it? When I was part time, and initially put on a task which was more "behind the scenes," I still tried to get more and more responsibility. Just because you're part time, doesn't mean your career should suffer.

I have talked to someone about it, they gave me more admin...My career is dead in the water. What annoys me is I am surrounded by 30 year-old women who work their butts off like I used to and I guess none of then are going anywhere either, only they don't see that yet. There are a couple of full-time working Mums. One has an au pair at home and I don't think she sees her children, the other has dh at home. They both seem exhausted.

Because you are now a mother. Everyone knows that mothers develop jelly brains and can't be relied on not to get distracted by kittens or ....er.... tulips.... and stuff.

I bloody work harder, I jump through hoops so that I don't have to bring my childcare issues to work. DH has had far more days off with the children than I have because I can't get tarred with the "mother therefore unreliable" brush.
The thing is, in the right jobs, Mother's are more reliable because there is so much resting on the right hours/ distance from home etc. You can't just up-sticks and leave like a child-less person.

Interesting article in the guardian about this yesterday professional women pay the price of starting family

Thanks pinkteddy...yes I guess that's me.

The scary thing is, my dh has been made redundant so we are facing a move to another part of the country. That means looking for part-time work in a company where I don't have any previous history... or being a full-time Mum.

Would you consider looking for a job in the public sector if you do move? They usually have pretty good family friendly policies to support parents who work.

Ooh that's harder. Loads of part time job websites around now though - could post some links if useful? What about local authority jobs - they are usually family friendly? That's how I found a good part-time job after a year or so of looking!

Snap candy!

don't rely on the public sector to be family friendly. I have gone back full time, have discovered to my horror that I am on the mummy track, I have complained and my whole team has fallen apart and, though I have tried to be reasonable, I am being shunned by management for exposing their failings.
So much for family friendly....

I did say 'usually'!

Tricky one. Presumably the company went through the correct procedures and explained why the old job needed to be full time? If so, then they would have business reasons. You may not be aware of them all, but then that's because you're the employee, not the employer!!
I'm in education, and tbh, the jobs with a higher level of responsibility cannot be done part time without it impacting negatively on colleagues and the smooth running of the school. We have a few part timers in middle management and it doesn;t work properly! That's the truth, and I'm speaking as a mum of 3. I'm all for flexible working where it works (for men or women, and actually I don't think it should be confined to parents, as many other people may have reasons to want to work 3 or 4 days a week). But at the end of the day, the employer is there to get a job done as effectively as possible. We could all make demands about what we would ideally like our work patterns to be (in an ideal world I'd like to have a 10 o'clock start when I'm tired, and maybe every 3rd friday off so I can have a long weekend!!)But we need to be realistic about the fact that we are being paid to do a job.

I raised this with my MP recently as I was so shocked seeing so many women who had been in professional jobs giving them up and then trying to go back into work but having to retrain or do lower paid work. The Guardian article mentioned above useful as one key thing has worked fairly well for me which is that your best bet is to stick in and fight with your existing employer say to cut hours and remain on same grade. I am with the public sector where it may be that there are more policies you can call on than private sector. But I have also found that internal promotions are advertised as FT even though the make up of responsibilities mean that the various 'bits' are PT. However I have had some success showing that PT can be done, but I still deserve and should be at a higher level. I think we have to keep fighting this one.
I think PT absolutely can work in management, especially with the possibilities offered by e mail. The culture of presentism isn't always a productive model. I agree that we all need to do the job we have committed to, but there's nothing wrong with suggesting and sticking to a working pattern. Other people can learn to work with it. And its up to the higher levels of management to agree it. having agreed something they should make it work. Trialing something new is always a way forward?

That does sound rubbish. In may experience the public sector are better, although I appreciate that it may not be everyones experience. I have just got a senior post in the civil service. I mentioned at interview that I currantly work 4 days a week and would want to maintain that arrangement and the panel (all men over 50!)practically fell over themselves to prove how family friendly they were, quoting all the examples of senior famlae staff working p/t/flexible or compressed hours. I now have a 30 hour a week contract and will be on nearly £40...I realise this isn't big bucks to some, but it appears that I really will be able to work pretty fixed hours and this is a godsend to me.

I know how you feel. I work in the public sector. I dont have a high flying career but I was doing fairly well before I went on mat leave in 2005. I returned 10 months later to an agreed 3 day week. Since returning to work I have been told " my priorities have changed" by my line manager and no longer receive such challenging work even when I have requested it and junior but FT colleagues have openly been given more complex work than I have. I can appreciate the difficulties some companys have in some circumstances if a role needs FT cover but my job is not one of those. What annoys me the most is the assumption made by others that I am not as commited or have different priorities. I felt very angry about all this for at least a year but now I am past caring. I know that sounds defeatest but there is really no point in me wasting valuable energy. I have just started mat leave with DC2 and plan on taking at least a year off. If I can get a career break for another year then I will as I see no point in rushing back to what now amounts to a dead end job. This will be my last child so I plan on seeing this job for what it is for now: fairlyu well paid, part time and flexible. In the meantime I am looking to change careers or possibly start my own business up. This probably would not have been the case if I had been treated better so ultmately its their loss.

when you say, they keep saying responsibility, who has said this. Have you actually tackled them head on and told them, that you do.
Have you discussed this with your manager, HR, and/or at your appraisal ?