Work related issue - can you ask someone to do this?

[TR]

I just don't see how this is A's problem to solve. You knew the situation going into it. And I'm also confused as to whether you want her to work the event or cover the office while others work the event.

[miso]

I don't understand anything here.

[TR]

STORYTELLING

[miso]

Stop making this a mother issue.

It is a part-time employee issue.

Your question is whether or not you may lawfully require a part-time employee to work beyond part-time hours, correct?

Is that what you're asking?

I don't have an answer to that question, but at least let's get the question right first.

[litskispeciality]

Sorry I don't think I was clear. No it's not her issue to solve, and I said HR because I don't want to end up in HR if it's a violation to ask her to flex her schedule on this one day. I don't think she should do more hours, just count back from leaving at 5 and start your day however many hours earlier you're allotted that day (for example 5 hours a day, work 12 to 5pm that day). Yes it's her 2nd day back from maternity, but if she was back FT that day she'd work until 5 yes?

Edit to add: it's a mother related issue because it appears she can't/won't flex her schedule that day due to child care. We might have the same issue with a childless PT employee, if the work a certain schedule it's not easy to flex their hours even for one day.

I understand this means she won't work and we have to work something out. I wanted to know if we should ask again formally, the answer is no. If we close the office and run the event with less staff it's no one's fault.

[kath16]

Based on what I think is happening... no. You shouldnt have counted on her. Frankly it sounds like you should have hired a temp (or like, 6) to be appropriately staffed

[BaliHai]

Uh, this was really hard to follow, but I'm gonna say count A out for this.

[sapphireblue]

Yeah, as someone who recently returned from maternity leave, I would be super annoyed if I got pressured when I wasn't even back yet full time and it was my first week back to discover that my coworkers couldn't plan ahead enough to figure this out.

I probably would suck it up and help out because we are all team players and coverage issues come up regularly at my job, but I would not be happy about it and I do not blame her if she isn't willing to help.

[Leeham Rimes]

Ham sandwich?

If she's part time for the time of the event and her PT hours don't coincide with a company's hours for an event, that's a company problem. Not a's fault the company is not staffed appropriately for an event that it planned.

[sapphireblue]

Reading your follow up--I don't think it is bad to ask her if she could alter her hours for that one day and work 12-5 instead of 9-2 or whatever. It can't hurt to ask her.

ETA: But I also think she should not be pressured and if she says she can't do it, that is that.

[kath16]

Jul 25, 2017 18:52:20 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

Sorry I don't think I was clear. No it's not her issue to solve, and I said HR because I don't want to end up in HR if it's a violation to ask her to flex her schedule on this one day. I don't think she should do more hours, just count back from leaving at 5 and start your day however many hours earlier you're allotted that day (for example 5 hours a day, work 12 to 5pm that day). Yes it's her 2nd day bacnk from maternity, but if she was back FT that day she'd work until 5 yes?

I understand this means she won't work and we have to work something out. I wanted to know if we should ask again formally, the answer is no. If we close the office and run the event with less staff it's no one's fault.

More tham likely her agreement isnt to work 5 hours a day. Its probably to work from 9-1 however many says per week.

And sure if she was working full time you coukd expect her to work regular office hours, but uhhhh she's not


ETA: i actually think you should ask, but have zero expectation of her agreeing. Just toss it out there to ask if she would be willing but let her know she can say no

[noodleoo]

Is this just a vent? Because I don't understand the question. If the question is can you force her to come work, then I'm guessing the answer is no. She's using FMLA to be part time, right? So no, you can't make her work. And besides that, it is really shitty to try to pressure her or coerce her to come in if that isn't her schedule. I know it sucks for you guys because you are short staffed, but it is not her fault that someone else quit.

I also can't figure out if you are her boss or coworker. It sounds like you are her coworker, in which case you should mind your own business and let the boss figure it out.

I feel like you will have a lot more empathy for this situation when you have kids.

[jewel]

I don't understand why any of this story involves a baby or maternity leave. She is currently a part time employee. You don't know why she wants or needs to leave before 5.

I have no idea if you can force her to flex her time or not. At my previous employer, this would have definitely been an HR/union issue, and it would not have gone the way you'd like. Forcing an employee to work outside of their assigned hours would have been a violation of the CBA and grounds for a suit.

[Leeham Rimes]

This is an understaffing issue. Not an employee won't flex their hours issue.

Your company has an event that it cannot appropriately staff. That is the problem. Not a. Not her schedule. Hire a temp or find someone else that can fill in.

I do not blame someone who simply doesn't want to deal with workplace shit when she doesn't have to.

[Leeham Rimes]

Ps: as to your question "can you ask someone to do this" someone did ask, the answer was no. So now your actual question is "can I force an employee to do this" and I think that's a question for a lawyer vs a message board.

[Deleted]

I don't know if this would be considered illegal or not. Regardless, if you pressure A (which would be a shitty thing to do, since she already said no and this was poor planning on your company's part, not her's), I wouldn't be surprised if she quits. My old job pulled this type of crap on me all the time, and I peaced out of there with zero regrets...and I didn't even have a newborn at home.

The woman said no. Leave her alone and figure something else out. Your company should have planned better for an event they already knew about it advance.

[litskispeciality]

I'm a co-worker, not A's boss, but I co-manage this event, so yes it's on me...however, how was I to know that the other person would quit right before the event? Not A's issue. Either way shouldn't require A to return or flex or do anything to cover that other person. If you can't ask A to flex, I'm sure you can't ask someone who quit to go to another job to come cover this event either. We're trying our hardest to fix the staffing issue, hence asking 2 other offices for help, even with that we're still short at least 1 or 2 people just to run the event.

I have a follow up meeting with my boss later this week to discuss the staffing issue. Since we can't ask A again, then the only option I can present is to close to office early, run the event with a skeleton crew and let him deal with the higher up's if they're upset. I'm sorry that I'm frustrated that I don't want to take the heat for this, but it's my issue it's my poor planning, so I'd rather vent (with poor storytelling) before I meet with my boss.

As I've said in 2 other posts now, I understand why she's doing this, I don't need to have kids to understand it. I'm frustrated because this will fall on me and apparently it should. Yes we had time to plan, and should have planned without A, but again we were counting on at least 1 other person and we've had some other staffing issues (including 2 other maternity leaves in the last 3 months) that are straining our office. And my company fought tooth and nail to give us PT temp coverage when we were down 3 staff members, I don't think they'll cover a temp for one night but I'll ask as a last resort.

[isabel]

As someone who came back from maternity leave to work part time this week, I am all kinds of irritated by this post. No, you do not get to dictate to this coworker that she has to work outside the hours that she was approved for. Drop it and don't bring it up again.

eta: Regarding your follow up about flexing her schedule, also no. I worked 10-2 today. If someone had asked me to work 1-5 I would have said hell no. She opted to work part-time and specific hours for a reason and she was approved for that schedule. It is not her responsibility to bail anyone out.

[VillainV]

Think about it from her perspective "I'm part time, just back from maternity leave, and already work is pressuring me to flex my hours. My crazy coworker who plans the event is more worried about how she looks in front of the higher-ups than what is legal of them to expect me to do. If it's this bad two weeks back from ML, is it only going to get worse? Should I start looking for a new job or wait it out?"

ETA: I think we know why everyone's quitting...

[Deleted]

[UMaineTeach]

When you are done venting and stressing, put together something to say to your boss that makes in clear that you have problem solved and come up with two solutions 1. Close early and/or 2. Hire some temporary workers. Outline what is required to have a successful event based on the success of the past, what you have now, and what you still need. Ask how he wishes to proceed.

But use that good business etiquette and language that I don't have.

[litskispeciality]

Jul 25, 2017 19:33:21 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

When you are done venting and stressing, put together something to say to your boss that makes in clear that you have problem solved and come up with two solutions 1. Close early and/or 2. Hire some temporary workers. Outline what is required to have a successful event based on the success of the past, what you have now, and what you still need. Ask how he wishes to proceed.

But use that good business etiquette and language that I don't have.

Thank you, I plan to do this. I promise I'm not a crazy coworker who only looks out for herself or a jerk or unsympathetic, although I can see how this post looks that way. I only sent A one follow up message to clarify the only reason for asking for the flex in hours is to cover the office. If I'm going to bother you I think it's fair to explain the reason, as opposed to make you feel like you just have to do it for no reason other than to change your schedule. As I've said I won't speak to her again.

I've been burned plenty of times with stuff like this. Not having kids you get stuck working OT, weekends and whatever other crappy flex/shift no one else wants or can work due to child care and other issues so I can imagine how pissed A is to even get this one request. I do hope since my boss has lived through the staffing issue that they won't be as upset as I am and perhaps say this is what we have to deal with due to issues out of our control.

[cherryvalance]

You have a management problem, IMO. Maternity leaves don't come out of the blue, so if your office has already been strained by two other leaves, your managers either DGAF or suck.

[foundmylazybum]

This is not your coworkers problem. It is your work's problem.


You can't make it hers. At all.

[nsl]

Jul 25, 2017 19:14:07 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

 

As I've said in 2 other posts now, I understand why she's doing this, I don't need to have kids to understand it. I'm frustrated because this will fall on me and apparently it should. Yes we had time to plan, and should have planned without A, but again we were counting on at least 1 other person and we've had some other staffing issues (including 2 other maternity leaves in the last 3 months) that are straining our office. And my company fought tooth and nail to give us PT temp coverage when we were down 3 staff members, I don't think they'll cover a temp for one night but I'll ask as a last resort.

Stop right here.  Everything else you're saying tells me (a working mom of two) that yes, apparently you are missing something really important here because you don't have experience with coming back from maternity leave yourself.  It's not like returning to work from vacation, or even from a standard medical leave.  It can be a mindfuck of the highest order.  Day two back and you're asking her to change her schedule (and, by default, screw more with her new baby's schedule which will already be screwed up by her return to work) because you didn't prepare?  Honestly, if my employer had even suggested such a thing I'd have been looking for a new job.  

Respect her need for the reliable part-time schedule she was promised and stop thinking that it's n any way her responsibility to cover for your company's personnel problems.

[icedcoffee]

I'm dying at the idea of someone telling me I need to work late my first few days back from maternity leave. No.

[cherryvalance]

Jul 25, 2017 19:50:29 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I'm dying at the idea of someone telling me I need to work late my first few days back from maternity leave. No.

But if she was FT, she would be working until 5 anyway! It's just a reallocation of her hours!

LOL, I am so glad I'm union and no one would think to send me multiple "feeler" messages about coming back early this fall because I wouldn't be able to hold back my rage-induced, profanity-laced response. 

[icedcoffee]

Jul 25, 2017 19:54:19 GMT -5 cherryvalance said:

Jul 25, 2017 19:50:29 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I'm dying at the idea of someone telling me I need to work late my first few days back from maternity leave. No.

But if she was FT, she would be working until 5 anyway! It's just a reallocation of her hours!

LOL, I am so glad I'm union and no one would think to send me multiple "feeler" messages about coming back early this fall because I wouldn't be able to hold back my rage-induced, profanity-laced response. 

I suddenly feel very blessed that no one at work has challenged my modified schedule or pumping times now that I'm back at work. Considering I am the only one with a kid, they truly get it and really support me.

[ECB]

So much focus on figuring out how/if you can get A to change her hours but yet little to no focus on dealing with the real problem - lack of proper management of this event. Which falls to both you AND your "chill" boss. You seem quick to write off your boss and not worry about enlisting his help. Nope - instead, lett's put this on the new mom who will JUST have gotten back from leave.

[KB]

You know there are multiple event staffing companies right? We use them at work all the time. Price it out and bring that potential solution to your boss. This is not A's issue.