So - just gone back to work on reduced hours...

[fufulina]

....but 6 weeks in and I'm doing a minimum of 40 hours a week and being paid for 30. I took a 20% paycut to work 4 days a week but find I am working evening and weekends to deliver the work required. I work for a marketing agency as an AD.

I don't want to rock the boat, but it can't go on. I get the impression that my boss basically thinks I'm full time - with a niggly day off in the middle of the week (I don't work Tuesdays) and in fact my profit target is the same as full time staff.

I am rubbish at confrontation so don't know quite how to approach this. Do I speak to HR or my line manager? I also haven't had a payrise since August 2008 (went on ML in November 2008) so I also want to discuss a pay review. Do I broach them together, or separately? Do I leave it longer before saying anything? Any thoughts would be very much appreciated

I would go to your line manager first but write notes after the meeting so you have a record as to what's been said.

Just be calm and say that you are unhappy and want to clear some things up. Be open and honest and say that you are happy to be back but need to get the balance sorted. Also mention the pay.

If you have no luck, then try HR. Are you on a trial period?

Thanks Tori27 - the flexible working was agreed to be tried for 3 months. And then reviewed then. I suppose I could wait until 3 months, but then my concern is I have set expectations for what I can achieve in a working week - which I can't do in the working week I'm actually paid for IYSWIM?

Um, well I think the first thing to ask is how many hours a full timer works.

What I mean is, in my job nobody works their hours. Officially my week is 35 hours, but most people would work more like 42-50. Somebody who was four days a week would therefore not expect their week to reduce to 28.

Once you've allowed for that, I would suggest approaching your line manager. Running to HR may be counter productive as it can come across as making things very formal very fast. Go to them if you need to afterwards.

I think that the obvious way into this is the profit target. Assuming that that is correlated to hours in some way (e.g. you look after fewer accounts if part time) then that should have been reduced. I would suggest asking to talk to him about having that pro rated, which can lead into a discussion on hours.

On the payrise, what's happened to other people? We haven't had any payrises since July 2008 either, because of the economic climate. If you've missed a review, I would raise it with your boss that way - "Oh, by the way, I missed my annual review whilst I was on maternity leave. Is the best thing for me to do to schedule something with your PA to do it now I'm back." Depending how far off that is, I'd try and do both issues together so that it doesn't seem like a 'drip drip' of problems to someone with a negative mindset to pt working.

Finally, I wouldn't wait until the end of the probation. As you say, you may set unreasonable expectations. Alternatively, you might end up with an extended probation whilst you try and fix it.

HTH

Ribenas advice is as always ( sycophantic smiley) very good. Another important thing is to decide what you actually want to achieve and also what is realistic.

So is there a way that your workload can be cut by 20% ? If there is then great you can go in fully armed with a proposal, if not then how do you want to play it ? Is there a potential for you to be paid for the hours you work at home so effectively you are f/t but on a different working pattern ?

If it's any help I'm somewhat in the same boat and it's hard. We are under a lot of pressure at the minute to deliver and whilst it is obvious that if someone is 3 days a week they cannot deliver a full workload I don't think bosses think the same about 4 days and you end up with a full workload. Having said that I do value that day with DS very much.

Aw, shucks .

Good point about negotiating pay too.

Thanks very much all - RibenaBerry - completely agree with your point re: a full week and hours. A full week is contracted at 37 hours, but I would say most people do about 42-45 within that - so an extra hour a day. Based on that, I'd expect to do around 35 hours a week, and it's panning out at 42-45, i.e. full time.

I think using the profit target to be pro-rated would be a great starting point, actually. As this 'discussion' with my line manager was shut down as soon as I even mentioned that I thought my target would be lower as I don't have the time at the office to deliver it.. So worth revisiting that. Good advice on the pay review also - to be honest - there is no set pay review date. It seems to be if you ask, it's considered and if you don't - tough!

Thanks again anyway for all your help - was rather stressed when I posted with a to do list as long as my arm!