Logan Sapphire
Ideal_Rock
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I have some questions, if anyone either works part-time or works in HR...
Does anyone here work part-time or work in HR?
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Logan Sapphire
Ideal_Rock
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I actually partially received the answer I needed from HR after I wrote this, but am still interested in getting other working moms' opinions, esp. those of you who are part-time.
I work for the federal government and when my oldest goes to kindergarten next year, I'd like to reduce my hours from 80 hours a pay period to 70 so that I can pick her up after school. In my county, all elementary schools are half days on Mondays, but I believe the schedule I've come up with will accommodate that (telework on Mondays, then a shortened day).
HR has said that I can't do a straight 70 hour schedule. I have to either be full-time at 80, or part-time at 64 or less. I don't fully understand the rationale, but I guess that's federal HR and they're not budging. It seems ridiculous that I would be pigeonholed into working less (64) than I want to or am able to, but oh well.
My supervisors are supportive of this and they think the easiest will be to keep me full-time at 80 hours, but allow me to take 10 hours of leave without pay per pay period to get me to my 70 hours of actual work. The issue is that b/c I would remain full-time, they will not reduce my caseload, as they would've had HR allowed me to just become a 70 hour employee.
My husband thinks this is the price we have to pay for flexibility. Do you think it's crazy to be paid for 70 hours, but actually do the work of 80 hours? Some days I have much less to do and it would be feasible, but other days there's too much work to be done. The nice part of this plan is that because I technically would remain full-time, I could work up to 80 hours at any time, so there's some flexibility in being able to take less leave without pay and work more if I can squeeze it in.
Oh- the reason I'm not doing 64 hours and just going part-time is that my work won't allow me to do that. So it's either 80 hours flat or this 70 hours/10 hours LWOP deal.
Would you go for an arrangement like this?
I work for the federal government and when my oldest goes to kindergarten next year, I'd like to reduce my hours from 80 hours a pay period to 70 so that I can pick her up after school. In my county, all elementary schools are half days on Mondays, but I believe the schedule I've come up with will accommodate that (telework on Mondays, then a shortened day).
HR has said that I can't do a straight 70 hour schedule. I have to either be full-time at 80, or part-time at 64 or less. I don't fully understand the rationale, but I guess that's federal HR and they're not budging. It seems ridiculous that I would be pigeonholed into working less (64) than I want to or am able to, but oh well.
My supervisors are supportive of this and they think the easiest will be to keep me full-time at 80 hours, but allow me to take 10 hours of leave without pay per pay period to get me to my 70 hours of actual work. The issue is that b/c I would remain full-time, they will not reduce my caseload, as they would've had HR allowed me to just become a 70 hour employee.
My husband thinks this is the price we have to pay for flexibility. Do you think it's crazy to be paid for 70 hours, but actually do the work of 80 hours? Some days I have much less to do and it would be feasible, but other days there's too much work to be done. The nice part of this plan is that because I technically would remain full-time, I could work up to 80 hours at any time, so there's some flexibility in being able to take less leave without pay and work more if I can squeeze it in.
Oh- the reason I'm not doing 64 hours and just going part-time is that my work won't allow me to do that. So it's either 80 hours flat or this 70 hours/10 hours LWOP deal.
Would you go for an arrangement like this?
NewEnglandLady
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I am in a simlar boat and still get frustrated that I took a paycut and often work more than my allotted hours. However, I did determine that it was worth it to me to have guaranteed time out of the office. Yes, I do sometimes work after K goes to bed, but I've come to terms with it.
Interestingly, my work would only allow me to do 32 hours per week (64 hours per pay period) OR the full 40 hours (80 hours per pay period). I kept my full-time benefits with 32 hours, but took a 20% pay cut. They felt that if I took more than 32 hours per week, it would not be beneficial to me because it would mean I would have to be in the office every day and I would probably end up billing 80 hours anyway. Having been on this schedule for a few months now, I completely agree.
So I think you just have to come to terms with the fact that you will be getting paid less to do just as much work. But you will get those Monday afternoons off and will not feel guilty about saying "no" to calls or checking email during that time. I have Fridays off and that one day per week is precious to me. It's just me and my daughter on those days and I love it. For me, it's worth the 20% pay cut even if I still bill over 32 hours (but not usually 40, so that's good!)
ETA: My ideal would be 24 hours per week (3 days per week). I did that for 2 months and loved it. But my employer wouldn't allow me to do it indefinitely, hence the jump to 32 hours.
Interestingly, my work would only allow me to do 32 hours per week (64 hours per pay period) OR the full 40 hours (80 hours per pay period). I kept my full-time benefits with 32 hours, but took a 20% pay cut. They felt that if I took more than 32 hours per week, it would not be beneficial to me because it would mean I would have to be in the office every day and I would probably end up billing 80 hours anyway. Having been on this schedule for a few months now, I completely agree.
So I think you just have to come to terms with the fact that you will be getting paid less to do just as much work. But you will get those Monday afternoons off and will not feel guilty about saying "no" to calls or checking email during that time. I have Fridays off and that one day per week is precious to me. It's just me and my daughter on those days and I love it. For me, it's worth the 20% pay cut even if I still bill over 32 hours (but not usually 40, so that's good!)
ETA: My ideal would be 24 hours per week (3 days per week). I did that for 2 months and loved it. But my employer wouldn't allow me to do it indefinitely, hence the jump to 32 hours.
enbcfsobe
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LS -- I am also a federal ee and may be looking into this soon. Feds are weird about PT work, I think in part because it is such a struggle to get authorization for FTEs to fill empty positions due to the hiring freeze affecting most agencies. Some agencies will let you switch to a PT position but there may be no guarantee that you can switch back to a FT one when you wish -- you may need to wait for the agency to have authorization for an FTE. I would check OPM's documentation, as well as your own agency's policies which should be available in writing from HR. Sometimes, however, the policies aren't specific enough, and it seems like HR will tell you whatever is easiest for them. I probably wouldn't bother to work PT but keep a FT caseload -- instead I would try to get a compressed schedule so I would have an extra day off, which is an option in a lot of agencies (though they're not always thrilled about it). If you are a bargaining unit ee, definitely talk to your union rep about what the contract says, because it may differ from the general policies. If I find anything helpful I'll let you know. Frankly private sector HR advice probably won't be applicable because of all the statutory and regulatory requirements for federal agencies.
ETA -- just realized my advice also may not be applicable if you aren't with the US federal gov't but possibly in another country, plus the compressed schedule doesn't help for school pickup. sorry.
ETA -- just realized my advice also may not be applicable if you aren't with the US federal gov't but possibly in another country, plus the compressed schedule doesn't help for school pickup. sorry.
neatfreak
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My 2 cents...I worked 4 days per week when I first started the job I have now. I though it would be ideal as I could spend time with the kiddos and still bring home a good paycheck. In reality, I became annoyed and bitter because it seemed like everyone else expected me to work 40 hours, and my boss didn't really think about it, so I felt the need to be on call the day I was off. I work in policy...so things often crop up that are unexpected, so that at least has a bit to do with it. No one can cover for my knowledge if a reporter calls, or a legislator needs details on a bill.
My boss is great though, so I do consistently have 2 days a week to WFH, and she's flexible if I need to take the kids to a doctor's appt, etc. But we're all happier now that I am getting paid for the time I put in.
Ultimately I went back to work full time, but I work from home 2 days per week. It just wasn't worth the pay cut since I was often working full time hours anyway. JMO though!
My boss is great though, so I do consistently have 2 days a week to WFH, and she's flexible if I need to take the kids to a doctor's appt, etc. But we're all happier now that I am getting paid for the time I put in.
Ultimately I went back to work full time, but I work from home 2 days per week. It just wasn't worth the pay cut since I was often working full time hours anyway. JMO though!
Logan Sapphire
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First I just wanted to say I realize I might've come off as whiney. That wasn't my intent at all. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't being a fool to say yes to their arrangement...
Enbcfsobe, you're right- I'm a fed with the US Dept. of Justice. Are you based out of the DC area? I actually currently do the compressed schedule, which is nice, but since my commute can be up to an hour, I'm out of the house for 11 hours, meaning my kids are in daycare for a VERY long day (I'm almost too embarassed to say how long). Fortunately, my husband stopped his AWS schedule and we slightly stagger our schedules.
And, my agency is pretty good about telework- we can do it 3 days a pay period. The union is looking to increase that to 4 days, which would be great. The one MAJOR snag is the half-day Mondays. Our school gets out at 1.10pm every Monday, as opposed to 3.40pm every other day.
New England Lady- is your office very understanding when you have to leave promptly at a certain time? My proposed schedule when I would be in the office has me leaving at 2.15pm every day. Our "core" hours say you have to be there until 3, so I hope that people will understand if I have to leave a meeting. I actually won't have a choice- school gets out at 3.40pm and we don't have bus service b/c we live so close to school, so it's not like I can rely on a 1/2 hour bus ride to allow me to leave work later.
NeatFreak- your annoyance and bitterness over working 40 hours and being on call is what concerns me too. I've always heard that you don't want to be paid part-time but work full-time. I'm pretty sure I can do 80 hours of work in 70 hours instead, but I don't want there to be a slippery slope b/c my work is notorious of rewarding hard workers with more work. Btw, my husband works in policy/leg affairs too!
Enbcfsobe, you're right- I'm a fed with the US Dept. of Justice. Are you based out of the DC area? I actually currently do the compressed schedule, which is nice, but since my commute can be up to an hour, I'm out of the house for 11 hours, meaning my kids are in daycare for a VERY long day (I'm almost too embarassed to say how long). Fortunately, my husband stopped his AWS schedule and we slightly stagger our schedules.
And, my agency is pretty good about telework- we can do it 3 days a pay period. The union is looking to increase that to 4 days, which would be great. The one MAJOR snag is the half-day Mondays. Our school gets out at 1.10pm every Monday, as opposed to 3.40pm every other day.
New England Lady- is your office very understanding when you have to leave promptly at a certain time? My proposed schedule when I would be in the office has me leaving at 2.15pm every day. Our "core" hours say you have to be there until 3, so I hope that people will understand if I have to leave a meeting. I actually won't have a choice- school gets out at 3.40pm and we don't have bus service b/c we live so close to school, so it's not like I can rely on a 1/2 hour bus ride to allow me to leave work later.
NeatFreak- your annoyance and bitterness over working 40 hours and being on call is what concerns me too. I've always heard that you don't want to be paid part-time but work full-time. I'm pretty sure I can do 80 hours of work in 70 hours instead, but I don't want there to be a slippery slope b/c my work is notorious of rewarding hard workers with more work. Btw, my husband works in policy/leg affairs too!
NewEnglandLady
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My office is understanding about me leaving promptly at a certain time, but I do find it easier to just have one full day off. A coworker of mine is also on a 32 hour/week schedule, but she leaves every day at 4. I admit it's harder for her since she has to avoid getting pulled into last-minute meetings or has the uncomfortable task of leaving meetings that run over. I leave at 5 every day and that's hard enough, but I BARELY get any time with K on weeknights as it is, so it's just too bad.
I think the stickier issue where I work is working from home. The company is flexible about it--I can work from home at any time. However, our company won't allow us to work from home regularly (e.g. on a Friday) if the kid isn't being cared for by another person (nanny, daycare, etc.)
Sometimes I do sense tension between the moms and the non-moms where I work. But that's another topic altogether
I think the stickier issue where I work is working from home. The company is flexible about it--I can work from home at any time. However, our company won't allow us to work from home regularly (e.g. on a Friday) if the kid isn't being cared for by another person (nanny, daycare, etc.)
Sometimes I do sense tension between the moms and the non-moms where I work. But that's another topic altogether
enbcfsobe
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LS -- not whiny at all!! i feel the same way esp knowing how much leave i'm going to take when many working for small firms get no rights to leave at all. i'm not in DC -- i'm a trial attorney with an agency in a regional office (given the other info on PS if I said which one I'd be way too easy to ID in my small office, but we have independent litigation authority unlike most agencies which keeps things interesting). my office is not particularly flexible about telework and we do not have union representation, so despite theoretically being a "model workplace" that isn't always the case in practice. my husband is also a gov't attorney in a different agency and his agency is anal about different things. (it was really fun when they were threatening furloughs/shutdown -- can you say $0 income??) anyway, we are also planning to stagger our schedules when i return after my maternity leave in the hopes that we can reduce total time in daycare, and our shorter commutes make that easier. (also still waiting for federal daycare center to get back to us about a tour and where we are on the wait list...grrr...guess we're lucky that ours is really highly regarded in the city and non-feds are fighting to get in). i've seen colleagues from my time at the firm be on 80% schedules and its such a joke. they really didn't work much less, but they got paid a bunch less. i feel like the same thing would happen with the arrangement you describe with using LWOP to get the time off but no change in workload, especially with the way our performance standards are written. its good that your boss is trying to accommodate you. if they can guarantee that the FT position will be there whenever you want it, i might suck it up and do the 64 hours for a while. maybe you could agree to a trial period? my real worry would be that i'd never get back the FT position, so I'd be really clear on that and want to get as much as possible in writing. or if you wanted you could do a trial period with the LWOP option -- i'd also be careful with that and look at the OPM regs b/c once you hit I think 18 LWOP days in a calendar year it affects your leave annual & sick leave accrual, and then at another threshold it affects benefits and other stuff (but unlikely if you're just doing 1 day per week). do you have a flexitime option? i know one of the single moms in my office uses that to be able to do early pickup once a week -- our core hours are 9:30 to 3:00 and our office is good about letting us just cover the core hours and work anytime 6:00a to 7:00p as long as we cover the 80 hours. not sure what your CBA says about flexitime/core hours -- DH's core hours end at 2 -- but maybe there's a way to work that angle? hope any of this is helpful. its such a labyrinth trying to figure everything out and even figuring out which questions to ask!! good luck!!
ETA -- how strict is DOJ about telework re: not being the primary caregiver? this is one thing i'm thinking about how it would work with a baby and i can't see them letting me work from home unless there was a grandparent/nanny/etc. there also. just curious if you've had any issues with that.
ETA -- how strict is DOJ about telework re: not being the primary caregiver? this is one thing i'm thinking about how it would work with a baby and i can't see them letting me work from home unless there was a grandparent/nanny/etc. there also. just curious if you've had any issues with that.
qtiekiki
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I work for the local government (city-level), so might not be the same. But I am wondering if it's just language? I know we are not considered part-time unless we are under 25 hours week, but we can ask for reduced schedule (anything between 25-39 hours week).
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I worked 4 days when I was teaching and was paid 80% of my salary. Like NEL, I had every Friday off and that was worth every penny!
I will never regret working less than fulltime to spend more time with my kids. It was a much better balance of family and work than working fulltime...for me.
I will never regret working less than fulltime to spend more time with my kids. It was a much better balance of family and work than working fulltime...for me.
I am also a Federal employee and I am part-time and have been for 15 years. I started at 25 hours/week when my kids were in middle school so I could be home before and after school. I now work 64 hours per pay period. Federal gov says part time is 16-32 hours per week. Anything less than 16 or more than 32 requires special permission. The best thing is we get the same benefits as full time. Although the cost of health insurance for pt is more than for ft. That's because the gov portion is based on hours worked, but the total cost is the same. I don't buy the health insurance because DH's company pays for his/ours. I get sick and annual leave and honestly I love having Friday's off. Prior to going back to work 15 years ago, I was a SAHM and that was my favorite job.
What I dont' understand is they won't let you do 64, but they will let you do 70 hours. That's not much difference. Honestly, even when I worked 25 hours per week I got as much done as anyone working 40. Anyone who works 8 hours per day has some down time usually. I rarely did working 5 hours per day (5.5 really since we're required to have a half hour for lunch).
What I dont' understand is they won't let you do 64, but they will let you do 70 hours. That's not much difference. Honestly, even when I worked 25 hours per week I got as much done as anyone working 40. Anyone who works 8 hours per day has some down time usually. I rarely did working 5 hours per day (5.5 really since we're required to have a half hour for lunch).
I also realized this morning that since you are currently full time, that would mean changing your billet/position to part time and possibly for your office losing that full time slot. That could be their issue with allowing you to work 64 hours instead of 80 and taking 10 lwop.
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