Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I'm back at work and miss DS so much. My job requires about 60 hours a week. I want to cut down my hours but I'm not sure when and how I should ask.

I'd like to work 4 days a week and take a 20% pay cut. That seems most fair. Working from home one day a week isn't an option. DH doesn't think I should ask for this right away since I JUST got back from maternity leave.

Was curious how other moms asked for less hours and what type of salary adjustment you took.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I went back to work on 7/1. My boss was on vacation that week. That Monday I told him I wanted to work PT (3 days/week). I followed up with him again one week later about it, and will follow up with him again today. I told him I want to go PT effective 8/1.

I say, do sooner rather than later. My salary will be adjusted by I think 20% as well.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

After DS #1 was born I contemplated doing this. For me too it would have been a 20% cut. The fact is that I would have had the same amt of work and a shorter time to do it

I still work 5 days but when everyone stays past 5 I leave and I get there early to make up for it

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Nope I didn't have the option to cut back my hours, no did I want to scale back my pay as a result of fewer hours. The best I can do is leave at EXACTLY 6 pm, where as before I would stay late to get ahead for the next day.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I now work three days a week. But i asked for this schedule the same day i told my boss i was preggo...He agreed to it.
I highly reccomend cutting down your schedule (if u can). I feel as though I have a lot of balance in my life. Its the best of both worlds. I don't feel like i miss out on time with my DS, and when its time to go back to work on Mondays, i'm ok with it. I think its worth asking for.

Good luck.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Yes I went from a 5 day work week to a 4 day work week

I only cut my hours from 40 to 38

I work Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri from 730am-530 pm

Wednesdays are my days with DS and I cherish them so much. I am a paralegal at a law firm. There were 2 other paralegals who had babies a few months before me and also had 1 day a week off. I have seniority over both of them so before I went out, I went into my bosses and said I needed a day off because I couldnt afford FT daycare. They gave it to me on the spot!!

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Initially no because my daycare was open early.

Now that I have 2 in elementary school I cut down my in-office hours. I work on the train & check in before/after hours.

I didn't take any salary adjustment.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I wish....I leave the house at 715 and usually don't get in until 615. I'm hoping to do something part time once DH starts making more money. Right now I am the breadwinner so I just have to suck it up!!

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

if you are going to ask I would do it now. once you get back to your reg. schedule, time flies! i asked my job if I can work PT after I had been back for 6 months, they said no, so I had to leave I miss my baby so much and feel like I missed the last 6 months, so I would really just do it now before any time passes

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

It was not an option for me...I hope they let you do it!
Good luck!

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Posted by Bridex100

Posted by mrsgafforio

I wish....I leave the house at 715 and usually don't get in until 615. I'm hoping to do something part time once DH starts making more money. Right now I am the breadwinner so I just have to suck it up!!

I am also currently the breadwinner since DH is a resident.

I'm willing to trade a bit of lifestyle for more time with DS. DH thinks I should hold off and see how things go since DS is in good care (with grandparents). DS seems to be doing super well with my mom. It's me who is needy.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Posted by Bridex100

Posted by mrsgafforio

I wish....I leave the house at 715 and usually don't get in until 615. I'm hoping to do something part time once DH starts making more money. Right now I am the breadwinner so I just have to suck it up!!

I am also currently the breadwinner since DH is a resident.

I'm willing to trade a bit of lifestyle for more time with DS. DH thinks I should hold off and see how things go since DS is in good care (with grandparents). DS seems to be doing super well with my mom. It's me who is needy.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

with the type of work that i do, this was not possible
however, i do not stay late anymore

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I did but temporarily, I was able to take off on MON for about 2 months.

I was given the option to continue that with a salary cut but that wasnt in the cards for us.
Once I got back, into the groove, one day didnt make a difference.
I do with I had that NOW being summer and all, so I had the time to be off with DH as well as that extra day.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Unfortunately my job requires a lot of hours. It's not mandatory per se but in order for me to get things done it's what I need to do.

However, I leave at 5pm pretty much every day. The way I've managed to circumvent the issue is that I go back online and work after my son goes to sleep. It's not ideal. I've come to deal with it. And save the mundane things for afterhours that I know I can do while watching tv.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

No, in my job, the option for working PT means no benefits (except for earningn some pro-rated vacation and sick time) and I wouldn't really work that many fewer hours. It wouldn't pay, financially or otherwise.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I no longer work crazy hours like I did before DD, but I still work full time.

I am also engaged after hours (black berry , laptop) as needed-though 5-8 I am generally unavailable as I am focused on DD during that time.

After 8, when she goes to bed, I am up and running again if needed (though that is rare).

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

No I didn't cut back my hours. My job is pretty flexible, I get to work between 9:30-10am and leave between 5:30-6pm. Depending on the projects that I have going on I can bring the work home with me and do it after the kids go to bed. Sometimes, I have to go in early or have a late meeting but DH will do everything himself that night.

I do work from home one day a week that makes such a difference. It's so nice to catch up on laundry that I could get done over the weekend or even to start dinner early. I didn't negotiate that until 9 months after I was back.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I am not sure what you do for a living or what your responsibilities are for your company but

I think you need to consider a few things:
If your boss says no, will he/she think that you are going to look for a new job? Will it hurt your position in the company?

I would not ask without a full plan in place and asking for a trial period.
You could say that you have given this idea a great amount of thought. You will work XX-XX 4 days per week, answer how your responsibilities will be handled on your day out (and asking another employee to do it for you is unfair IMO) and discuss that you understand your pay will be adjusted with the new hours by XX% to a total annual salary of XX. And say you would like an 8 week trial period after that time you and he/she can sit down and have a meeting to discuss how it went, how to tweak it or if they are not comfortable with continuing it.
Perhaps you can say that you will check e-mail and voice mail from home 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour at night on those days and be available via cell if an urgent matter arises.

I think this is possible for some positions as long as you have a solid plan before asking about it. Good luck!

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

I work only 4 days a week now. I took a 20% paycut.
I have wednesday off most of the year and Fridays for the summer. It is great having one day extra with ds. If you can do it - go for it. I would suggest sooner rather than later.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

i was luckily given the option to work 4 days a week with a 20% pay cut. i will be going back to work full time when DS turns a year old.

SO worth it, IMO. we were still able to save enuogh $$ to do what we wanted and are buying a house, which is the only reason i am going back full time.

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

Re: Working Moms - did you cut down your hours when you had a baby?

i ended up cutting down from ft to three days a month as a per diem... right before i was scheduled to go back on a 2 night a week schedule dh got promoted and was switched to overnights, which was what my schedule was... for us it was not financially worth it to pay for evening care (i cant work days) as i make the same working one shift a week