I know that I posted a few weeks ago about taking Fridays off, but my excitement was premature. My boss has said it was fine by him but that I needed to clear it with the HR partner. She was away on holidays and then I was off to Toronto for Blissdom Canada and then October ate me whole and then, and then. I finally met with her.
(She’s my age and we have been colleagues/friends for ten years now. It was a good conversation.)
The details are this: A thirty-hour work-week, with Fridays off. OFF. Like, OFF.
(OK, I will be doing freelance work and laundry and planning meals and whatever, but I will not be in the office.)
With Matthew at work full-time at our church, we’ve felt especially crunched. For if you are on a church staff, 40 hours = about 60 hours. He works the school hours and then there is movie nights and boys’ club and Sundays. SUNDAYS ARE BUSY. I help out with a lot of that (Staff member by association!) and we’ve been behind the ball for so very long. I’m really hoping to gain my footing, here.
I will have those eight hours a day on Fridays while the kids are at school to balance things out, at least as much as I can. Then I will be here to meet them when they get home from school. I will then have the rest of the weekend to deal with groceries and birthday parties and family outings and whatnot. (It’s the whatnot that usually kicks me in the back of knees.)
At the end of our meeting I felt a lift. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I feel lighter. I almost skipped down the hallway that day. Almost.
It’s a whole new world, here, and I can’t wait to explore it.
Comments:
Yay! Super happy for you
That’s awesome, Angella! My husband and I always complain that work always gets in the way of life.
Getting that extra time is such a coup. Congratulations!
SO AWESOME! Can’t wait for you to get to “stay home” on Fridays!
Our church staff here each take a week day off (they did this at my church in Terrace, too). Because they are all required to be there Sunday, and with youth and kids’ club and all those things, they only work four week days.
There are a couple agencies that we work with that do 4 10-hour days and it makes me SO JEALOUS.
Sounds like things are working out exactly as you need.
Woo hoo! How exciting that you’ll get to be there to meet the bus on Fridays!
So happy for you! I hope it helps you find the balance you’ve been looking for. You do so much freelance work, I don’t know how you’ve been getting it all done!
Yay! It’s like how Ali mentioned in her post about what you’d rather have – extra $$ a day, or 2 extra hours and I’m all “the hours!” Life is busy enough, even for spinster me, that shit gets put to the back burner A LOT.
I’m jealous! I would love to be able to do that sometimes just to get caught up!
Enjoy!
This is such a gift. I’m happy for you. My boss gave me the okay to change my schedule (I’m already at 35 hours a week) if I needed. Maybe even work less during down time (my events are cyclical) which would hit right when wedding season takes off so if my business gets going, it could be ideal. It made me reconsider looking for work elsewhere. Flexible schedules are worth their weight in gold!
I’m so glad you feel better! What a great schedule. Love those happy kids too.
Yay Yay Yay!
xox
You are luck to have such a boss. You have really to appreciate it and very smart choice you have made.