Am I being unrealistic asking to go from working full-time to part-time?

Question

I've been working for three months in a software start-up. This is my first job after graduating university. The deal was that I would work for at least three months subject to evaluation, with the possibility of continuing if my boss liked my work. It was I who proposed this arrangement, because I wasn´t really sure if programming was "my thing", so I wanted be really sure before really commiting for a longer time. I was transparent about this and he seemed okay with it.

My performance has been good (at least he hasn't said anything bad to me about it), so I can continue next year. I liked the job, so I decided to continue too. The thing is, I hadn´t taken a vacation in more than a year and I'm really burnt out, so I asked him not to work January-February(with no pay) and come back in March. Again he seemed okay with this. Clearly it wasn't the best for him, but he agreed.

I want to ask one more thing: to work part-time from March onwards, with reduced pay. I want to try new things (maybe start my own business, write, etc) and I would really love to have more free time to do these things. Ideally I would work 3 or 4 days a week. Other colleagues work part-time, but it is only in a temporary way, while they complete degrees or things like that.

Am I f****d for not talking these things before with my boss? Am I asking too much? Am I an entitled millenial who doesn't know how the real world works? Or is it a reasonable request?

Please excuse any grammatical errors, English is not my first language. Thanks for your advice.

Answer 1

You can always ask, just be prepared to hear no.

In my experience, software developers do not work part time (unless there is a reason). For the most part, when someone is hiring they are looking for someone willing to work full time. The employer may choose to reduce your hours as a way to help you through something (as you have seen), but generally, developer jobs are full time gigs. You could argue that a contract for X amount of hours could be considered part time, but that's about it.

If I were to put myself in your Boss's shoes, I would say no. If it continued to come up after I said no, or your productivity reduced because I said no, I would just replace you with someone willing to work full time. Maybe I am just a jerk, but I think most people would do the same.

Answer 2

This depends a lot on the culture and legalities, both within the company and within your country of work. In the UK, for example, you have the right to apply for flexible working, such as working from a different location, or working fewer hours for pro-rata pay, and there is a limited list of reasons that your employer can refuse for.

All that said, it's far better to get an arrangement like this through polite requests that through statutory means - it's better for your boss to offer you an agreement to part time working than to force them into it legally.

I would say you should do this:

• Ask to speak to your boss
• Prepare a case as to why they should allow this - stay away from "I just don't wanna do this" type reasons, and lean towards reasons that sound more compelling, and maybe come up with some way in which you will give something back in return (you could take 50% time for 45% pay, for example, or you could commit to returning to take on more responsibility after a set time etc)
• Consider why they might say no, and try to think of ways that you could mitigate this. If they will have to hire someone else, you could commit to mentoring them.
• Definitely be prepared for the idea that they might refuse, and know what you want to do if this happens.

If they say no, will you quit, look for a part time job and then quit, or stay full time? You need to know in advance.

Answer 3

[...] I hadn´t taken a vacation in more than a year[...]

In many countries employees are by law entitled to 2-4 weeks paid holiday leave per year.

Am I being unrealistic asking to go from working full-time to part-time?

You may ask anytime to change the conditions of your employment contract as laid out within said contract.

It is of course within the liberty of your employer to accommodate or end the contract if no compromise can be found.

Am I an entitled millenial who doesn't know how the real world works?

That is a given if your date of birth falls within the "millenial" category (;

EDIT:
You didn't mention that you only worked during the summer.
In that case you may only be entitled to a pro-rated amount of holiday or none at all.

I also did a quick search if employees are required to take vacation (inspired by a comment from SaggingRufus).

I found that employers are entitled to force their employees to take time off in Canada, and Japan is contemplating it.
Apparently in Germany they're even obliged as part of their duty of care to force employees to take the minimum mandatory vacation time (Landesarbeitsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg(Az.: 10 Sa 86/15),LAG München (Az.: 8 Sa 982/14)) - I read only a summary, not the verdicts themselves.