Sick days in work...someone will know

[magpie seanie]

It's the small employers I feel sorry for, especially when it comes to employing women. If I owned a small business I would try my hardest not to employ a woman of child bearing age.

As a 'small employer' I can tell you that you're on the money there - I've just been through the ringer with a former employee whom we tried to fit in a 4-day week after her first child was born, who wanted to cut it to a 3-day week after her second child arrived.  I won't go into the details, but she threw the book at us when we couldn't grant her request (btw, she wanted her full salary for the 3-day week).  We got absolutely shafted by the Labour Court - don't ever expect them to treat an employer with anything like equality of consideration (or any considerations at all, in fact). 

I always assumed if a woman went on a 4 or 3 day week that her wages would be reduced accordingly. Is this not the case?

[Minder]

It's the small employers I feel sorry for, especially when it comes to employing women. If I owned a small business I would try my hardest not to employ a woman of child bearing age.

As a 'small employer' I can tell you that you're on the money there - I've just been through the ringer with a former employee whom we tried to fit in a 4-day week after her first child was born, who wanted to cut it to a 3-day week after her second child arrived.  I won't go into the details, but she threw the book at us when we couldn't grant her request (btw, she wanted her full salary for the 3-day week).  We got absolutely shafted by the Labour Court - don't ever expect them to treat an employer with anything like equality of consideration (or any considerations at all, in fact). 

I always assumed if a woman went on a 4 or 3 day week that her wages would be reduced accordingly. Is this not the case?

It is, its not as if they are working two days a week and getting paid for five.

[Billys Boots]

Good luck in the Labour Court lads, she claimed she could do the work in 3 days and they believed her, even though the contract we signed (with the client, which was tied to her contract) required her to be available for work for 5 days.  The mistake we made was accommodating her original request for 4 days (allowing her to work the 5th from home, which she never did).

[The Watcher Pat]

It's the small employers I feel sorry for, especially when it comes to employing women. If I owned a small business I would try my hardest not to employ a woman of child bearing age.

As a 'small employer' I can tell you that you're on the money there - I've just been through the ringer with a former employee whom we tried to fit in a 4-day week after her first child was born, who wanted to cut it to a 3-day week after her second child arrived.  I won't go into the details, but she threw the book at us when we couldn't grant her request (btw, she wanted her full salary for the 3-day week).  We got absolutely shafted by the Labour Court - don't ever expect them to treat an employer with anything like equality of consideration (or any considerations at all, in fact). 

I always assumed if a woman went on a 4 or 3 day week that her wages would be reduced accordingly. Is this not the case?

Their wages would be topped up with WFTC(Working families Tax credit) and CTC (child tax credit).. They may even be better off working 4 days a week. Its getting more popular now that a man takes a 4 day week. The fella who sits beside me does it. His wife has a better job and earns more. He takes every Monday off to look after the kids (he says he has no childcare that day) and is only about 10 pounds a week worse off...

You have to know how to play the system.

[thebandit]

I know a young lad who was happy enough to be cut from a 5 day week to a 3 day week, as long as he could word Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. If he works these days, the dole will pay him for Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, thereby leaving him better off.....