Non-quiche for people working in HR, what do you all reckon?

[flowerybeanbag]

Anyone fancy bit of a whinge support group?

A quick bump for us all. So nice to see so many more new faces.

Distance learning CIPD is tough. If anyone has a choice go for a CIPD approved College. You get more guidance on papers and exams.

Bitofadramqueen - will look out for the Birth announcement

Hello Flowery! Hope the A14 was kind to you Friday afternoon.

Hello all, frantic check in for a sec. Am madly tidying up, have someone coming round to quote for weekly cleaning this afternoon and I'm working on the basis that if the house is a tip, they might charge more. If it looks lovely, they might think easy job, charge less.

Hi callme. A14 beautifully clear thanks, good time of day I reckon!

Hello all, just checking in as dd screetches on his play mat - it is not as popular as it was with last dd.

Anyone completed the home front survey?

FFS. Just need to share my and [despair] at crapness of some HR people.

Very senior HR person at DH's work has just 'knowledgeably' informed him that it is not legally possible to terminate a contract of employment on a Sunday. WTF?

DH is leaving, as you know, and has asked that his employment end on 31st August. His last day in work would be 29th August which is a Friday but he wants his employment terminated on the Sunday. Most importantly because he gets significant DIS cover from work and doesn't want to tempt fate that he might get run over by a bus on the Saturday or Sunday and leave me penniless.

But apparently there is a law stating that it is not possible to end a contract on a Sunday - she has 'read it somewhere', and has told her subordinate that that is the case.

For crying out loud, where on earth do they find these highly paid doughnuts 'professionals'.

I just did the Home Front survey Ruth!

Hope everyone is ok. My nanny has been away for a week so I have been sadly neglecting work and wondering how on earth I managed before she appeared into my life!

Flowerybeanbag, I totally sympathise. A month ago, I was informed by a solicitor who is supposed to be an employment specialist that employers recover, from the government, any redundancy pay they pay to employees. When I asked him if he was sure he answered me in the most patronising manner possible and said 'yes, of course because it is a statutory payment, you see'. I resisted the urge to punch him for being so patronising (as well as plain wrong!) because I am sure he had forgotten that I have 18 years of experience as an employment law adviser.

Hi Sis and Flowery

I do know what you mean. People can roll thier eyes when you say what your job is because they are used the some HR folks that clearly don't know thier a* from thier elbow.

Even in my org (where I think they are pretty good) they sometimes say or do things and I think even common sense whould prevail over what you have just said!

What did you think of the survey? Wonder if we'll get a summary - would be interesting to see.

K R Ruth

Would you lovely folks mind helping me on this one please? help for a friend

Thanks

Have just left the world of HR after 13 years to be SAHM for a while so feel I almost qualify to join. Have done my time in retail and investment banking in a variey of HR generalist roles (or do we call them business partners these days) as well as some specialist roles in ER and shared services. After 13 years think i deserved a break - particularly from the bankers...

Welcome sleepdeprived. We all need a break from bankers

Hi,

Been lurking for a while but thought I would say hello tonight. I've been back from mat leave a couple of months now - love job but colleagues appear to have morphed into magnets of super-negativity in my absence. Lots of organisational change which I know is challenging but I don't really think it is on for them (inc 2 senior managers) to refuse work because 'it is not in their job description' and only accept requests for advice by email! We are all professional specialists but I am the most junior yet dealing with internal customers who refuse to speak to the others. Oh, it's great to be back. Change management anyone?

As you say, some HR people

I am so bored of moaning to DH about situation so that's why I've lurked. I will moan no more to you!

How we all doing?

Hello sleepdeprived and stripeybumpsmum, welcome. Stripey don't feel you need to stop moaning. Trouble with HR is you usually can't (or shouldn't ) moan to colleagues, so DHs and DPs get lumbered with it all.

SO moaning here is fine and dandy.

Is everyone too hot? I have got our a/c unit blasting into the bedroom so it will hopefully be lovely and cool when we go to bed.

Working hard plus organising various social events at the moment, all very busy. DH finishes his job on 15th August then has 2 weeks off, hoorah.

I would almost kill for an air con unit. It is toooooo hoooottttt

Question : Do all HR people think that they can't ask for part time work because they know what the answer will be or is it just me?

Interesting question Ruth.

Thinking back a few years to the last time I was in a 'proper' job working f/t for one company, I do think if I'd been there still and had asked for p/t after having DS, they would have accommodated me.

But they were fairly forward-looking and family-friendly as an organisation and there were several senior female employees with various part time arrangements so it wouldn't have been at all unusual.

I actually think, reflecting on it, that I would have hesitated had I been more junior. I think actually in that organisation at least, being senior, female, and more 'known' and 'proved' would have made it much easier. I'm not so sure that more junior employees would have been successful in a request for part time employment. I might be doing them an injustice saying that, but with the culture there was, I think that might have been the case. Very much about individual 'stars' being important and nourished.

Thinking further back to the organisation I was with previously, again, I definitely would have felt comfortable asking. My boss at the time had an arrangement to leave early to collect her son, and an administrator in the department working part time after having a baby as well.

So much to do with where someone is working I guess I am saying!

I've just read that back, and it doesn't read particularly well but I've got a headache and can't be bothered to change it!

Know how you feel on the headache.

Um a colleague has a four day week but it is a smaller role, plus there is this other role they want me to do. Maybe I have just got too much self talk in my head e.g. job too big for me to do in four days a week.

Mind you my direct reports would prob say that too. See I am doing it again

Get rid of that self talk!

Maybe because of places I've worked but my opinion and experience tell me that if someone is really valuable to a business, if at all possible, they will be accommodated.

Replacing someone is expensive, time consuming and risky, and the more senior the person, the more all those issues probably apply. If the employee is good, and it is remotely possible to accommodate them, a large proportion of employers will do so I reckon.

So all you need is some practical solutions as to how what you want is possible. Maybe a sounding-out chat with your boss first?

RuthT...I'm part-time in a senior role within the public sector. I'm not the only one either; there are several people, at my level, working part-time on various different combinations.

I've written about my flexible working previously, but to recap, I work 20 odd hours a week worked over 2 or 3 days, depending on workload. However, I juggle things around to be available for clients and work from home as well. On days I don't work, I check my blackberry and organise responses so I don't spend my first day back at the desk clearing a backlog. It works well for me, and several very senior clients have remarked that their attitude towards flexible working has changed through their contact with me.

So far, it has worked well. It remains to be seen how I'll fare through our next restructuring, but so far so good.

Hello all, sorry not posted for a bit,

I was actually told by my boss not to even think about asking to return to work part time (i came back 4 months ago) as it just wasn't going to happen!
at my level I have to ork part time or come back at a lower graded post... humm

So you wanted part time or full time?

I am full time, but wasn't even allowed to ask to be considered for part time unless I was willing to be much more junior on a lower salary... hummm

They don't get to tell you whether you're allowed to ask, Sexy. You are allowed to ask.

Obviously you know that but I just wanted to say it anyway. Your boss doesn't sound very nice at all.

Have you considered putting a request in anyway? Do you think it's possible to do your job on a more flexible basis? Why does your boss say it's so out of the question? As you can see from this thread, you don't have to be more junior to work successfully on a part time or flexible basis.

Sorry for all the questions, I am a bit and to see your post and hear about rubbish bosses like yours.

Well I can shock you all with my part time background. Came back after DS1 4 days a week to a senior job. DS1 v.sick so actually resigned (long story - nursery nightmare). They asked me to consider coming back 3 days in a different more sole contributor job which I did (and withdrew reignation). After DS2 really went for it and asked to come back 2 days a week which they agreed to, doing some mangerial and project work for 6 months in various Hr depts. They then offered me a 2 day a week job share or the offer of redundancy (which arguably they didn't need to do). I felt it was time to be a SAHM for a while so chose the latter. All this and I worked at a Director level and for an Investment Bank (an industry which doesnt tend to get the best press for part time work). Think the only thing I would say is that you have to be prepared to say it's this or I'm off (which I know not everyone can do) to really get them thinking creatively. Also think it is much more realistic to work in a specialist HR function than a generalist/business partner role and I suprised myself how I could work in HR areas I considered too technical for me as I had a predominantly generalist background. God have re read this am begining to wonder why I left.

I think I agree with you sleepdeprived. Generalist roles don't naturally lend themselves to part-time.

Amen to that.

Hey flowery I get annoyed too...

but the good news is that I've just been offered ( and accepted - hurrrah!) an HR Managers job with a really family friendly company. It's strict 9 to 5, and email doesn't work outside those hours. So even though I'll still be full time it'll be part time compared to my current job

BTW my current job is in the allegedly family friendly public sector !