Anyone working full-time considering switching to part-time after baby arrives?

sammy520

I currently work full-time (8-5, mon-fri). I did the math and financially I could work part-time (3 days per week). The problem is that I don't know how to bring up the subject with management. There aren't any other part time employees in my office that I'm aware of. And I'm worried that if I ask and they say no, then they'll be upset with me and hold a grudge if I keep my full-time position. Or worse, they'll lay me off. My manager already asked if I'm returning to work after maternity leave, and I said yes. Any other ladies considering the same option? Or has your employer already agreed to switching work schedules? I just miss my son so much right now, and feel like I'm missing out, that I can't imagine how difficult it's going to be once the baby arrives. They don't stay little for long and I just want to spend as much time with my babies as I can. 

I've considered switching companies, but I haven't found other part-time positions available that pay as much as I make now. What should I do???

Snaps816

I'm kind of in the same boat! I already asked my employer about part time (or working from home some days) and was shot down. They want me to stay, but say full time is the only option. They say they've tried part time with others in the past and it's never worked well. I will most likely quit this job and try to find something part time, or at least a little more flexible, after baby is at the crawling stage or so (for some reason I feel much more comfortable with the idea of day care at that stage). But the scary reality is that there aren't that many part-time jobs out there! At least not in professional fields. I know going into this that I may have to take something far outside of the career path I've been on. But I'm with you, I want to spend as much time as I can with my child in those early years. I think it will be worth it. Also the cost of full time child care is horrendous. 

Curls919

It really depends on the job you do and the company. My old job had no part time employees and it wasn't until after i returned to work and my son had some health issues that my bosses offered up a part time administrative job for me. But salary wasn't based on my old salary since I wasn't doing the same job and financially it ended up not making sense for me to continue in that capacity so after 6 months of doing the part time job I ended up giving my notice.

but in a different industry I possibly could have made it work. 

ginger819

Same as pp I went down to part time after DD was born, but it wasn't working for us so I ended up putting in my notice and finding another way to make ends meet (started babysitting a friends baby). My part time change meant switching to third shift though which killed me when I got pregnant. I'm sure some situations work out, but I thoroughly enjoy being home with DD every day. 

jmknox

Me.    My commute to work is an hour each way with DS's daycare stop.  I did a survey amongst my female colleagues who I went to school with and no one worksmore than 4 days a week, except women with MUCH older children who own their own practices.    So I finally got the nerve to ask my boss for a full day off (instead of a half - which always turns out to be just a couple of hours anyways with over scheduling and the commute) with my goal being 3.5 days/week.   My job is too stressful for me to commute 2hrs a day going in 5 days a week when baby #2 arrives and with both littles to pack up/send off/pick up every day.  Not to mention quite physical at times. Can't wait for my new whole day off to come around!!!  Got to see what the pay cut is going to be like though... Trade offs.

skelly70

I put in a request to go to part time, which works out to be 60% in the school system. I'll still get benefits, but I'll teach three classes in the morning and then go. I talked to my immediate supervisor first, and then had to have a meeting with the principal about what it would look like in practice. Basically, I told him that I wanted to stay but that part time was right for my family. I asked him to let me know if it looked like part time wouldn't work with the master schedule so that is have time to find something else. He was pretty respectful of that. 

Good luck to you!

tmk0325

Once we found out we were having twins, I changed my focus from looking for full time work to part time right away. I had been laid off for 8 months and just started yesterday. I'm working 20 hours a week and already know that is going to be plenty. I was persistent and found a great paying job (but no benefits) that is extremely flexible and willing to work with me. It took a while, but it can happen if you keep searching and trying. Moral of the story, if you are thinking that'll make you happier talk to them now don't wait,  so it gives you both time to plan if it doesn't work out. You could always work up until you have the babies, take your leave and start looking for something else after your leave is up. I'm not sure what your leave looks like, but that could be an option too. 

Hummingbird125

I currently work full time 8am-4pm, M-F. I'm planning on asking my boss if I can continue full-time but work from home 3 days per week post-maternity leave. There is one other person in my company who works from home 2 days a week (but she is in our other location). My ideal plan would be:

I work full time, but from home 3 days per week.
DH works full time, but from home the other 2 days per week (won't be a problem for him)
We hire a mother's helper to assist us while we're working from home, not for the full 8 hours, but at least for half the day.

If my boss doesn't okay my part of the plan, I honestly don't know what I'll do. I will probably need to quit and find something part time. I am adamantly against putting this LO in any type of day care while he's an infant for many reasons, so I seriously hope my plan works. Going to talk to him about it within the next couple of weeks.

icyshimmerpowder

I'm definitely thinking about it. I recently went from 80% time to 100%, and am regretting it. There's an opportunity in my field for a position that would be just half time. Very similar work to what I'm doing now, but DH and I need to sit down and see if we can swing it financially. I definitely want to work - but everything around the house just runs so much more smoothly when there are a few extra hours in the day.

charmedlifex3

I suggested going part time as a "transition back to full time" option, and my company is okay with it. The idea is that I would work part time as soon as my maternity leave is up, and once I feel up to it, revert to full time.(Likely within a few weeks)

 If my husband is able to find a job where I can stay part time, I'd be in a good position to ask for it, since (theoretically) I'd have been doing it for a little bit so they would see how it worked out.

Might be a way to ease them into accepting it if you think they would be hesitant, but they may say no, and the LO will already be here...

ThisisNumber3

Remember in your calculations that going part time might mean you loose a lot of benefits.  

WinnieLou82

ThisisNumber3 said:

Remember in your calculations that going part time might mean you loose a lot of benefits.  

Agreed. And, I'd encourage you to show your employers proof/plans of full time childcare if you want to work from home.  

bananers

WinnieLou82 said:

ThisisNumber3 said:

Remember in your calculations that going part time might mean you loose a lot of benefits.  

Agreed. And, I'd encourage you to show your employers proof/plans of full time childcare if you want to work from home.  

Also, consider the cost of part time daycare isn't usually 50% of full time daycare. At DS's daycare, part time is about 80% of the cost of full-time. So I'd be giving up half my salary for only a 20% cut on daycare costs. 

For us it didn't make sense, but it does sound appealing!

ThisisNumber3

bananers said:

WinnieLou82 said:

ThisisNumber3 said:

Remember in your calculations that going part time might mean you loose a lot of benefits.  

Agreed. And, I'd encourage you to show your employers proof/plans of full time childcare if you want to work from home.  

Also, consider the cost of part time daycare isn't usually 50% of full time daycare. At DS's daycare, part time is about 80% of the cost of full-time. So I'd be giving up half my salary for only a 20% cut on daycare costs. 

For us it didn't make sense, but it does sound appealing!

Agree.  Most employers aren't really willing to do it unless there is a financial advantage for them (aka you work 20 hours, they pay you 50% of your salary but they dont pay benefits or something).  It all depends on the nature of your work though.  

SkiChic626

Oy...wouldn't that be nice!  I'm the primary breadwinner in our house right now, so there's no way we could afford to lose my salary.  That said, I LOVE working, and my current job is super flexible so I've got a good thing going.  I know this can't last forever and I'll have to move on to move up eventually, but for now I don't plan to make a change unless I'm forced to do so.

charmedlifex3

@skichic626 right there with you. Best I can do right now is to work part time for a few weeks on my way off maternity leave. Likely instead of taking the full 12 (2 unpaid) I'll work part time the last two weeks.

mmclark10

@SkiChic626 and @Allisun85 Same for us!  With my first, I was ready to go back to at about 9 weeks post partum but had a flexible job, grandma doing day care 2 days a week and a nanny the other three and only worked 2 miles from our house.  I'm planning on 12 weeks this time and will force myself to be out that long if necessary since it's our last baby!  I do love the day care our DS is at which will hopefully make it a little easier but I'm also working on convincing Grandma and Grandpa to come up and stay for an extended period to prolong the daily schlep to day care for this baby!

ballofmeat

I work shift work in a hospital lab and every once and a while they ask if anyone wants to adjust their status. I put mine in three months ago and will finally be going down to four days a week instead of five. We still have to pay for full time daycare though because a lot of places around here won't do part time because it's a money loss for them when they can fill it as a full time spot. We figured that the extra day home for me though would be worth my sanity since I work second shift. 

1faceinacrowd

@Hummingbird125 I've never heard of a Mother's Helper... Is that sort of like a nanny? How much do you pay them, just out of curiosity?

I'm currently in the process of applying for remote/work-from-home positions. My two older kids will both be in elementary school next year (right now one is in pre-school and the other is in an elementary school about 15 minutes from our house - he's transferring next year). The school they'll be attending starting next school year is literally 1 minute from my house (less than a mile) so it would be awesome if I worked remotely and could just take a quick 5 minute break in the morning and afternoon to drop them off/pick them up from school. 

Right now, I work a full time (Mon-Fri) job in the office. They're flexible and let me come in later so I can take the kiddos to school, but that also means having to stay later to make up the time (DH picks them up in the afternoon). I think that'll be hard on me once baby comes. They do allow some work-from-home time, but only on an "as needed" basis (e.g. sick kids, needing to be at home for a delivery, having a minor illness, etc.). I already know they wouldn't work anything out with me to do any of my current job from home because I'm fighting them just to let me work from home for a week after maternity leave is up. I would LOVE to be able to go to part time but I make more than double what DH makes and it just wouldn't be a good decision for us financially unless I could somehow make the same salary working PT. 

Hummingbird125

@1faceinacrowd - it's like a nanny or babysitter, but one who's really just there when a parent is too. So they don't have to be qualified enough for me to want to leave the baby alone with them, but can handle changing diapers, picking up the baby when it cries, and helping me around the house (running errands, taking the dog out to play, doing dishes) so that I can focus on just working and (hopefully) breastfeeding.

No idea what the going rate is in my area, but it would be cheaper than a nanny.

1faceinacrowd

@Hummingbird125 I will DEFINITELY be looking into this if/when I get a remote job! What an awesome idea!