Negotiating Part-Time After Maternity Leave

[Sunshine24]

I am getting way ahead of myself here as I'm only 15 weeks pregnant, but I'd like to have this situation figured out sooner than later. Here is what I am dealing with....

I have been at my current company for 6 years. I have plenty of time saved and will be able to take paid 12 weeks of maternity leave.

RIGHT before I go out though ( in November ) my whole company is having us re-interview for our jobs as we are going through a restructure. So that means I dont even know who my new boss or new job description will be, and wont know until about 2 weeks before my baby's birth.

Once I find out the job/boss I will have I will have about two weeks before I go out on leave. At what point should I approach my new boss about working 3/5 days a week? It may be a boss I know very well, or could be someone I have never worked with yet, I have no clue.

Some colleagues say I should do it as soon as I know who my new boss is, some say to do it while I am out but before I come back. I need to plan out daycare and finances and my life as soon as possible....

If any of you have any experience negotiating part-time and have advice or a story about how you did it, I would really appreciate hearing your feedback! Or advice even if you havent done it!! I could use all the help I can get.

 

[weewdy]

I would wait until you are on leave and maybe at least 6 months into your maternity before you make a decision on how many hours you want to do etc

 

[roberts08]

i agree, im due next month will go back april, will apply in writing dec/jan.
.
if you just got 12w i would but it in writing about 4w in to leave

 

[Sunshine24]

thanks roberts!

so after about a month off you are putting it in writing and then what? mailing it to your boss? presenting it to her/him? any insight of how you are doing this would be great.

 

[seoj]

For me- because of where I work, I would bring it up before leave-- OR-- once you have the new boss set (after interviews), then bring it up right after you are on leave. tbh- I do think the sooner the better. I negotiated to work from home on Fridays after I returned from maternity leave- but still work full time. I don't have a part time options- if only! I would take that in a heartbeat! But, I have to work full time as I'm salary and my pay covers 40hrs per week.

Obviously do what your comfy with- but if you do wait till after you leave, I would at least go in person (call first to set up an appt) with your new boss to discuss your options- just simply say what you want "ideally" and be willing to negotiate a bit. Then do what is right for you Best of luck!

 

[Sunshine24]

seoj, thanks for your advice. I dont really know if part-time is an option for me either at my job, but I am going to try and make it one! Hahaha.

I'm like you as well and would love to have my schedule all set before leave so I dont have to think about arranging it and negotiating it once the baby comes? That way if they tell me no--I can just say "okay" and still plan to return to my full-time schedule once I'm off leave.....but also maybe look for a part-time option while I'm on leave.

Thanks!

 

[Sunshine24]

bump

 

[LDC]

Many work places have flexible working sheets that you need to complete through hr - mine was what I worked before baby, what I want to work now, how it will affected the business/my colleagues and what I could do to prevent this.

I'd wait until you're on leave, I left in November and did this in April, you'll still have plenty of time to arrange childcare etc x

 

[Amalee]

Hi Sunshine - I'm not sure where you live or how helpful this would be, but here FMLA does not need to be taken consecutively. It can be taken a few weeks at a time, or by working part time hours. Maybe you could talk with your new boss before going on maternity leave, and say that you would like to explore the option of working part-time instead of full when you come back. Then, instead of taking 12 weeks completely off, you could do 10 weeks with no work, and then 4 weeks working half your normal hours. Let him know those are your current plans, and you would like to work that way to ease back into work, and to see how part-time working would fit at your employer.

Hopefully he would be happy that you've put such thought into staying with the company!

 

[Sunshine24]

Thanks for the advice ladies!

 

[babyhopes2010]

i was in the same situation!

What i was advised to do was wait until i was due to go back and then request part time hours. i was granted them but i had to go back full time for a month before my hours were reduced

 

[pinkgoldfish]

Soon as possible- out of curtsey more than anything else. If someone told me 3 weeks into their maternity leave that they had been sitting on working part time when they returned for six months then i'd be a bit cheesed off personally. It's doubtful it will have an effect on their answer so just do it when you can.