Advice please-How to ask boss for PT hours?

Kerrielyn13

I am due back to work on Monday and am completely dreading it.  Aside from buying lottery tickets every night in hopes of not having to go back, I have to so we can keep the house.  So with that said I am hoping to ask my boss for one day off a week.  Not completely part time but it would help make me happy working and we can afford that. 

 So my question to all of you whether you've gone part time or not is how do I ask my boss, and when?  Just wondering how I could broach the subject with her? She's a single woman, wonderful boss and a good person, but a career woman none the less and I just want to make sure I time it appropriately and ask in the right way.  My company is really not all that part time friendly but there are a couple other people in my department that do one less day so I'm hoping that will work in my favor. 

Any help or advice on timing and wording or how you may have gone about this would be SO much appreicated!!!  thank you all!!

RoxyLynn

As a Director my question would be this - what happens to the work you were hired to do but have decided you're too busy for?  It's not fair to stick other employees with the work and without compensation.

Go to your manager with the answer to that question, and you've got a fighting chance.  And regardless of yoru manager's marital status, her job is to keep the department running optimally.

stephnews

Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead? Is that a possibility? That might be a solution to pp's suggestion.

Otherwise I don't have a lot of ideas yet, as I'm still contemplating my schedule post-baby. Good luck!

MargieMom

stephnews:

Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead? Is that a possibility? That might be a solution to pp's suggestion.

Otherwise I don't have a lot of ideas yet, as I'm still contemplating my schedule post-baby. Good luck!

 

This.  I would offer working 4 10-hour days.  GL!

EastCoastBride

To follow on Roxy, is there a way this will benefit them?  If so- promote that idea too.  But yes, at it's simplest, you need to be able to outline how you can still get your job done in less time.

YellowBride

I requested part-time at my last job right after coming back from maternity leave. First I'd give it a week or two. Then I'd write up a proposal and either give it to her in advance so she has time to digest it and talk to the powers that be. I gave her my proposal in writing and it outlined the schedule I was looking for, how I would still get the work done, and the benefits to the company (basically paying me less thus saving them money). I also included that we could do this on a trial 3-month basis and reevaulate at that time if it was working for all parties.

Then I scheduled a meeting with her and we discussed it and she had to get permission from HR, etc. It took a while for that red tape, so I'd make sure you have full-time care in the meantime. Eventually it was accepted. In the beginning I worked 3 half days and 2 full days. Eventually I changed to 3 full days and 2 days off - I liked this much better!

Best of luck!

costfords

Check your companies handbook for their policies on part-time.  I requested part-time months before I went out on maternity leave.  This is because I work at a large company, and it took that long to get the paperwork processed and so that everyone knew ahead of time.  Like others have said, go in with a plan.  Is your work slow, therefore it is more beneficial for all that you not have the downtime every week?  Is there something that you can do from home to make up for you not being at work so that you don't fall behind?  Would telecommuting be a better option?  I would look into everything, and come up with the best solution for you.  But, be willing to negotiate so that it is best for everyone.

meags

I also requested going down to 4 days a week.  I called my boss up during my maternity leave and just told her it would work well for our family, so could she accommodate it?  (I work for a pretty casual, small office, and my boss is very flexible, otherwise I would not recommend this approach, lol!).  I did have a plan to present to her, pointing out all the projects I'd completed ahead of deadline for the program in the past, my attendance record, my case-resolution rate, etc.  Basically showing how efficient I was normally, so she would have less reason to doubt that I could do the job on a shorter schedule.  I would have been less comfortable asking if I wasn't sure that I was seen as a valuable employee.  The logistics depend on your type of work and office environment, but if you have a plan to present and a history of good work, there's no harm in asking. 

(That reminds me, I should probably get off the nest right now and start working!)