What are the best part time days?

[Erlouise]

Hi ladies

I’m having a discussion with work next week about what days I want to go back.

im requesting 2 days but I think they’re going to ask for 3.

can I ask those who work 2 and 3 days - what days in the week do you work?

I’ve had a few say avoid Mondays due to pro rata and bank holidays but not sure how bothered I am given I’ll be part time.

advice from those with experience would be amazing,

TIA X

Yes, avoid Monday due to bank holidays. PT Colleague of mine ended up with hardly any leave due to this. I find traffic heavier on Tuesdays, and maybe avoid Friday I’d you like weekends away.

I work Mon-Wed. I started with Tue to Thur but I always felt as I was playing catch up with everyone else having not been in on Monday. I don't really mind about the bank holiday thing. Having Fridays off is good as a lot of my friends also have Fridays off. Weds was the hardest day for getting childcare as it seemed virtually all part timers work on Weds. Only working two days just wouldn't work for my job, it's not just about the quantity of work that needs doing but I don't think I'd be in touch enough with what everyone else is doing, I do find I have missed bit of information that have been discussed when I'm not there even on 3 days.

I have worked 3 days a week for about 3 years. Monday, Thursday & Friday. No issues working a Monday and I get 13 days annual leave, but of course I only need to take 2 days holiday to have a full week off.

The way my leave was calculated you weren’t disadvantaged if your leave day fell on a bank holiday so you might want to check this out beforehand.

Wednesdays is a good day to have off.

I like working Fridays because it’s an easy day to commute if I want to and I like having that Friday feeling on a Friday with everyone else.

You shouldn’t be disadvantaged by Monday bank holidays because paid bank holiday entitlement gets pro rated

I would always recommend avoiding working Mondays for pro rated BHs.

I liked my 3 days being Weds- Fri. Working days together and enjoying the Friday feeling as things wind down. Tues to Thurs is also nice, having a long weekend, every weekend.

I do Wednesday to Friday and it's perfect for me. Love the 4 days off in a row. I like having Monday and Tuesday to myself when it's quiet and I can go shopping in the city etc.
Regarding the bank holidays, although I don't work Mondays these are added to my holiday allowance. I prefer being able to take them when I want. I don't expect all companies do this but many do.

I used to do Thursday and Fridays it was great!

I think it depends on your workload and how your job flows. I had a job where we worked all week leading up to a Friday and start again the following week. This is when I worked Weds to Fri. In other jobs where the day doesn't matter as much, I like Tues to Thurs.

I work Mon to Wed and it suits me well

The BH thing is worth considering if you are really keen to maximise AL and take days off that suit you. One of my colleagues has Mondays off and she loves the fact that in effect she ends up with an extra week AL to use in lieu of all the Monday BHs. Most years it averages out fine for me but can be annoying if XmasDay, BoxingDay & NYD also fall on your normal working days as your 0.6 entitlement doesn't actually cover all the BHs!

If you have children in nursery, I'd avoid Mondays as the nursery may be shut but you may still be charged. This is the dilemma I have.

I work 3 days a week including Mondays and I would definitely advise against working on Mondays.

In 2023, 7 out of 9 bank holidays fell on a Monday. (There was an extra bank holiday Monday for the coronation.) There was another bank holiday which was a working day for me so 8 days. I only got 5.4 days of bank holiday (60% of 9) so I lost 2.6 days of annual leave. I did get the days off, of course, but I lost the flexibility to take annual leave when I wanted. Some years it's not so bad (this year 5 out of 8 bank holidays are on a Monday, plus 1 bank holiday on another of my working days, so I lose 1.2 days of AL) but most years there will be a lot of Mondays. If Christmas, Boxing Day or New Year's Day fall on a weekend the bank holiday will be a Monday.

If you have a school-age child you might find that several inset days fall on a Monday too. It's helpful if you don't have to worry about organising childcare or annual leave on those days.

This is what I do to, and having worked different combinations in the last, this is definitely my favourite!

If you’re Nhs don’t work a Monday as a part timer, as you will lose out. An average year has 8 bank holidays and 4 of these are always Monday.

I work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.