Getting started with your senior part-time employment
The new collective agreement entitles you to up to ten weeks of additional time off every year. But what do you do if your workplace is struggling to make it work? On this page, our negotiation consultant guides you through the rules.
It takes effort
Once you have moved to senior part-time employment and have bought, say, four weeks, your manager cannot simply deny your request to take them, explains Mette Bond.
“The workplace must make an effort to make it possible,” she says.
But bear in mind that it doesn’t mean you can dictate when you’ll be taking the extra weeks.
“The planning needs to be aligned with operations as with any other days off. You can't just decide for yourself that you’ll be absent throughout December if your workplace is super busy,” stresses the negotiation consultant.
What if I’m denied senior part-time employment?
Could your manager end up denying your request if there’s no immediate solution to you being away for several weeks every year?
“It's a right you have, but not an unconditional one. If your employer can’t see it working out at all, it's their responsibility to make efforts to find a solution,” explains Mette Bond.
Then, if they really can't see how it can be done, they must consult the union representative to discuss why it isn’t possible.
“If they can't figure it out either, the next step is for them to reach out to Finansforbundet,” says Mette Bond.
She finds it really hard to imagine it being so difficult that it is completely impossible. According to the consultant, the existing senior part-time arrangement has not caused any major issues preventing members from taking their senior part-time leave.
“It’s comparable to situations when people are on long-term sick leave; then you’ll also have to figure out how to solve it,” she says and continues:
“It’s even stipulated that, in situations when it isn’t possible, other positions should be explored to find a solution. So, businesses should really start practicing how to make it work.”
Could I end up having to switch jobs to take senior part-time leave?
“There’s no risk that you’ll suddenly have to switch jobs; discussions will be ongoing long before that. Usually, it will be possible,” says Mette Bond.
Don’t feel guilty
Some people tend to worry or feel guilty once they start thinking about how it will affect their colleagues if they insist on taking their extra weeks of freedom.
Remember that it isn’t your responsibility to solve the puzzle, emphasises Mette Bond.
“It’s the responsibility of the workplace to ensure resources are available and tasks are handled. It’s not the individual employee's responsibility to ensure that the tasks in the department are handled,” she says, comparing it to if you were taking maternity or paternity leave or stress-related sick leave.
“You shouldn’t feel guilty about this either. Those who do, shouldn't. It’s the workplace's responsibility to figure out if it’s necessary to relocate tasks, if the staff needs to be expanded or if something entirely different can be done. It’s never the responsibility of the individual employee.”