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Original poster

Have any part-timers been able to secure anything other than a pro-rata salary arrangement...?

41 replies

enraha · 17/02/2009 20:25

Would appreciate a bit of a discussion about this. As I think a lot of employers get a rather good deal out of productive part-time mums.

Was very much on a career-track prior to M.Leave. I do an office-based job, am obviously not able to be as flexible and time-generous as before, but still add a lot of value and experience, yet have taken a significant pay-cut to spend 2 days a week with DD.

Not having a moan/entitlement-trip, but just finding the financial pro-rata formula a bit on the blunt side and may have to reconsider my choice to go back.

Anyone in the same boat (and made it work)?

OP posts:
trixymalixy · 17/02/2009 21:46

I was just grateful to be allowed to go part time and have a very understanding boss.

What sort of arrangement are you thinking of?

TBH I can't see employers agreeing to anything other than pro-rata. i know part time employees can be more productive, in my last appraisal my boss said I was basically doing what was a full time job in part time hours, but think i wouldn't have a leg to stand on trying to claim full time pay for it

fishie · 17/02/2009 21:49

it is tricky to prove though. i work 8-4 rather than 9-5 and it is really difficult to go home early when i have worked longer the day before, it is practically still lunchtime to some people.

NorthernLurker · 17/02/2009 21:52

Oh come on - you are working less hours - they will want to pay you accordingly. It would be totally unfair to 'full time' employees to do anything else and certainly wouldn't represent equal pay for equal work!

I work 34 hours and handle a 37 hour workload in that time - but there are 3 hours a week that I'm just not there. In your case it's 2 days - you don't seriously think they should pay you for time you're not available to work?

PuppyMonkey · 17/02/2009 21:55

I think they should pay you for Saturday and Sunday too...

Heated · 17/02/2009 21:56

A friend who works for the local council has actually retained her original f/t salary on p/t hours. The boss asked her if she could do the job in less hours, she said yes.

I get paid pro-rata and thanks to the new agreement on calculating teacher pay and conditions, I will now be directed, unpaid, to cover form time, break etc and I am mightily pissed off.

spicemonster · 17/02/2009 21:57

Have you considered (or would they consider) a different work pattern? I work a 5 day week but one from home and I work 8-3 that day. My DS goes to his CM in the morning, comes home for a nap, I work till he wakes up, do bits around him and then a bit more once he's gone to bed.

Remotew · 17/02/2009 22:00

Typical of local authorities to be paying people to work full time and twiddle there thumbs for half the week. Money wasters.

Original poster
enraha · 17/02/2009 22:00

That's it though, I think anyone doing 4 days a week in a 'thinky' kind of job is just as productive if not more than a 5 day a week 'cruiser', but for 20% less money. I personally don't feel as motivated and incentivised as I used to - and that's a bad thing for business in my book.

OP posts:
Remotew · 17/02/2009 22:03

I have two part time jobs and am discriminated against in one of them, yes I know its illegal but it has suited me up until now. I think I add just as much value if not more that the full time coasters.

Sorry, sore point atm. Hat's off to anyone who can secure a full time salary on part time hours.

NorthernLurker · 17/02/2009 22:12

enraha - it's possible that you don't feel as motivated because a) you;re growing out of the job - which happens to everybody eventually and/or b) you have a child now and that does change our focus.

heated - I'm not surprised to read about your friend's arrangement but were I one of her co-workers I would certainly launch a grievance about it as it is an arrangement which is not available to all nor is it (imo) sustainable long term. Doing five days work in four days can be stressful and exhausting - not ideal working conditions I think.

trixymalixy · 17/02/2009 22:15

Enraha, I agree with Northernlurker.I felt less motivated and incentivised when I first went back to work part time. I felt left out and almost demoted.

I applied for another position which was a step up and my motivation completely changed

Original poster
enraha · 17/02/2009 22:21

Oh absolutely, I definitely agree with that.

In my personal situation, I'd probably need to leave my company, as there's currently nowhere viable to move to. A shame, as I'm really good at my job, and certainly used to enjoy it, just feeling like a bit of a mug at the moment.

OP posts:
trixymalixy · 17/02/2009 22:25

How long have you been back for?

NorthernLurker · 17/02/2009 22:26

Enraha - you HAVE to take a long term view or you'll just get depressed!

I work with full time commitment for part time money and I have childcare costs which eat up a huge part of my salary. The majority of the time I'm at work I'm there to pay the childcare. Now you could say i'm a mug - or you could say (which I do) that I enjoy the job, I'm good at the job, I'm doing a job actually at a level which I know not everybody could do. I'm paying into a state final salary pension scheme and I'm positioning myself so that in a few years when all children are at school I will be much better off financially. I think sometimes as working mothers the temptation is to have the MOTHER bit writ large and to forget what the WORKING bit also gives us - which is a lot of value both in financial and emotional terms.

EyeballsintheSky · 17/02/2009 22:27

I've just gone down from full time to a job share with me doing three days. I certainly am doing more in three days now than I did in the same time before mat leave.I'm not saying I should be paid for it but just as a point of interest I work my bollocks off to finish what would easily have taken me all week before so I think they are getting quite a good deal.

Original poster
enraha · 17/02/2009 22:29

aha, perceptive [amile], only went back just before Xmas, so prob need a bit more time to settle (or get more pissed off, ha ha!!), but did have some 'isshoos' prior to ML that still rankle...

OP posts:
annh · 17/02/2009 22:33

But surely if you are paid more than a pro-rata salary for doing 3 days a week, colleagues who are full-time are going to complain that they are being paid "less"for working full-time? So suddenly everyone either wants to go part-time or wants more money for fulltime? I can see next month's thread title - "Why should I be discriminated against financially for working full-time?!"

trixymalixy · 17/02/2009 22:34

Eyeballs, I do that as well, you definitely don't have time to procrastinate when you're part time.

Give it a bit longer Enraha, it's a big adjustment to make.

Original poster
enraha · 17/02/2009 22:41

hmmm...if everyone worked equally hard and productively, yes I'd agree, but they just don't. Hmmmm... really think I need to change jobs

Northern Lurker, have noted your point about getting depressed...

OP posts:
NorthernLurker · 17/02/2009 22:44

Yes the key point in my situation is that I enjoy my job (now - hated what I went back to after M/L - I also had some issues relating to what went on whilst I was off the scene...so I applied for and got another job in the same place which is brilliant) If you don't enjoy it, you will never make it work because the costs - in every sense - will outweight the gains.

Heated · 17/02/2009 22:47

NorthernLurker, my friend's p/t hours means she starts later and finishes earlier. Hers is fairly specialised role so has no immediate co-workers, just a boss and support admin, but I'll admit to being a bit of the no-drop in salary.

NorthernLurker · 17/02/2009 22:52

The specilisation of her role is lucky for her I think! Yes I'm too!

FriarKewcumber · 17/02/2009 22:57

sorry but as a part-timer (4 day week) myself, why would you expect to be paid proportionately more for the samehour work at any particular tiem.

I do extra hours unpaid in the evenings but nowhere near the ovetrtime I did when I didn;t have children.

I am lucky to have flexible employers, they are lucky to get me more cheaply than they could afford if I were full time. Expecting some kind of bonus for working part-time seems bizarre.

Original poster
enraha · 17/02/2009 23:17

You see, that's where I have a problem. It's been decreed that flexible working is a right for parents. Forgetting the current economic climate for a moement... Then, there's an expectation that regardless of previous track-record you should cow-tow and be ever so grateful that you've been granted a legal right, assuming it fits with a business case (and I don't have a problem with that bit), and mercy-me if you've got a boss that demonstrates a shred of humanity, then frankly you should be paying them for the privilege of coming to work.

Culturally I just think, that it's a bit f*cked up and it's why women (with children or not) get a crappy deal on salaries.

Does anyone see what I mean here?

OP posts:
FriarKewcumber · 17/02/2009 23:25

actually my employers agreed to flexible working before I was a parent...and as I said they are lucky to have me. ie it suits us both.

I still can;t see how paying someone part-time a higher hourly rate is in any way equitable.

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