“What’s the best day to take off when working part-time?”

0:00Speaker 1:Think about all of the layoffs that we're hearing about all over the world. All you owe this business is.

0:05Speaker 2:Your hard work during the time you've assigned to do that role.

0:08Speaker 1:You need to look out for yourself.

0:09Speaker 2:You need to look out for your ambitions, your pay packet, all of that sort of stuff. If you love what you do and you care this deeply, I can tell that you're an unbelievable employee.

0:17Speaker 1:Protect yourself. Do your best in that role.

0:20Speaker 2:And at the time when you feel ready to be open about your pregnancy, tell them.

0:24Speaker 3:This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, the land on which we're lucky enough to raise our sons and daughters. Always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Hello and welcome to Dear Radio Night, the show where we answer three of your questions on making work work alongside motherhood.

0:42Speaker 1:I'm Lou.

0:42Speaker 4:And I am Loz. And today you.

0:45Speaker 3:Are asking us which day is the best day to take off when you work four days a week. Whether you should accept a contract extension when you already know you'll be going on maternity leave and how soon is too soon to leave your baby for a week-long international work trip?

1:00Speaker 1:Interesting questions. I love it. Question one, this is from Bea.

1:05Speaker 2:I'm preparing to return to work in January, 2027 for my 14-month parental leave. I'm hoping to go back four days a week, but I'm wondering what your thoughts are on which day of the week is best to take off, off in a quote unquote. My daughter will need to go to daycare for the days I'm working. Thank you for your advice. Okay.

1:23Speaker 1:Middle of the week.

1:23Speaker 4:A hundred percent. I'm glad we're unanimous in that. Wednesday, without a doubt.

1:29Speaker 1:Wednesday without a doubt.

1:30Speaker 3:Yeah.

1:30Speaker 4:I mean, there's your answer from us.

1:31Speaker 3:Yeah. If you were to think about it more strategically, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the hardest to get into daycare. So you could maybe have that up your sleeve. Mondays, I would never take a Monday off because there's a million public holidays and you want to get paid for those.

1:46Speaker 1:And you're so strategic.

1:47Speaker 4:You do not want to pay daycare for that. There's also Fridays. I feel like they're usually like the culture day in the office. It's a good day to be in. People are a bit slack.

1:58Speaker 3:It's nicer.

1:58Speaker 1:It's a bit nicer.

1:59Speaker 2:I Friday was actually going to be my second option though because then you've got a long weekend on that side.

2:05Speaker 1:Yes.

2:05Speaker 2:And sometimes you'd have the four-day weekend. So if you're going away for just a weekend, it's a bit easier. However, I consider four days basically full-time so I don't worry about the idea of taking annual leave.

2:15Speaker 1:You know what I mean?

2:16Speaker 3:Yes.

2:16Speaker 1:Like I feel like mum's always a little bit more stressed to ask for annual leave.

2:18Speaker 3:Yeah.

2:18Speaker 1:But like, sweetie, you're in there four days. You're basically full-time.

2:21Speaker 3:You are.

2:22Speaker 4:Well, you're doing your full-time workload.

2:23Speaker 2:Exactly.

2:23Speaker 4:That's just not why.

2:24Speaker 1:Yeah. So Friday's my second option. What's your second?

2:27Speaker 4:My second option would be a Thursday.

2:29Speaker 1:Okay. Okay.

2:30Speaker 4:And then my third option would be a Tuesday.

2:32Speaker 1:Okay, great. Is that because of the daycare days?

2:33Speaker 2:So Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday is how I would prioritise. Yeah, mine would be Wednesday, Friday, Monday.

2:40Speaker 1:What?

2:41Speaker 3:Yeah.

2:41Speaker 4:Oh, because you really want to bookend the weekend.

2:44Speaker 2:Well, my theory is once I'm flowing in the paid work week, I find it a bit more stressful to let go. Oh, yeah.

2:52Speaker 1:You know what I mean?

2:52Speaker 2:Whereas if it's bookended, having said that, like two days in a row, you get on either side of a Wednesday.

2:58Speaker 1:So I'm less worried about that.

2:59Speaker 3:Yeah.

2:59Speaker 1:It's like, I will get back to you.

3:00Speaker 4:Yes.

3:01Speaker 1:Having said that, if you're working on a Friday, you then can't.

3:03Speaker 2:Get back to a Tuesday. It's tricky if you're having that Monday as your motherhood day. But yeah, my theory is that, I don't know.

3:10Speaker 1:I don't really know.

3:11Speaker 3:I also think I'm a better mom when I'm at work. as like a spacer in between having time with my kids.

3:16Speaker 1:Wednesday is definitely the best.

3:17Speaker 3:Wednesday is by far, by far the best. It breaks up the week. You're grateful that you've got that time with your child. And then the next day you're like, even if they're testing, you're like, I'm back to work.

3:26Speaker 1:Yes. It feels like a holiday.

3:27Speaker 2:I often at the end of a Tuesday, because Monday's a bit muddled for me. I feel like I'm semi working through the kids, but like I have the morning off and then I tend to just try and do some work around them, which isn't great, but whatever. And so by the end of Tuesday night, I'm sort of like, it's a sigh of relief to be like, tomorrow we can all like be in our pajamas to whatever time.

3:44Speaker 1:Like it's a nice refresh. Do you know what I love about a Monday though?

3:48Speaker 4:Tell me.

3:49Speaker 1:This is why I never thought I would like a Monday before.

3:51Speaker 2:I actually think if you go back and listen to every episode, I will have said I love Monday being a paid work day.

3:57Speaker 3:Yeah.

3:57Speaker 2:But what I've loved about it, it's been forced on me this year with Ray's kinder hours.

4:00Speaker 1:Yeah. And so Posey's just matched Ray's three days of kinder. And what I've.

4:04Speaker 2:Loved is that if we have a really busy weekend, which we've had like the busiest, I've been in Rye one weekend out of the last eight weeks.

4:10Speaker 4:Yeah, wow.

4:11Speaker 1:I've been there once for the full weekend.

4:13Speaker 2:So if we have weekends like that, which we've had plenty of with like family things, friend things, whatever, I like that on a Monday I can set up for the week.

4:20Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. I love like cooking and grocery shopping and all of that. Yeah. If I haven't done it on the Sunday. But Wednesday.

4:27Speaker 4:Yeah, Wednesday, Wednesday. We're just going to call it Wednesday.

4:30Speaker 1:Call the episode Wednesday. Let's go to question two.

4:32Speaker 4:This is from Dia.

4:34Speaker 3:I am currently 12 weeks pregnant and my 12-month contract at work is coming to an end. My manager has just offered to extend my contract for another 12 months, which initially brought a huge sense of relief. However, now I'm feeling quite conflicted. For context, I'm responsible for delivering a new program of work, which is due to commence in September. So if I accept the extension, I'll spend the first few months onboarding, helping to launch the program, and then likely go on maternity leave after around three or four months.

4:58Speaker 4:I'm struggling with a sense of guilt. Part of me feels that.

5:01Speaker 3:The company would be better off recruiting someone who could see the program through from beginning to end rather than investing in me only for me to step away on maternity leave so soon after it begins. At the same time, I genuinely enjoy this line of work and see myself returning to it after mat leave. Before I was offered the extension, I was feeling anxious and disappointed at the thought of my contract ending. Now that the opportunity is in front of me, I'm questioning whether accepting it is the right thing to do. I'm torn between wanting to do what's best for my employer and wanting to make the best decision for my own career and growing family.

5:30Speaker 3:I can't tell whether my hesitation is a genuine concern or simply guilt.

5:34Speaker 4:Influencing my thinking.

5:35Speaker 2:It's simply guilt influencing your thinking. You are clearly good at what you do and care about what you do and a valuable asset to that team.

5:44Speaker 1:Think about all of the layoffs that we're hearing about all over the world.

5:47Speaker 2:All you are with this business is your hard work during the the time you've assigned to do that role. You need to look out for yourself. You need to look out for your ambitions, your pay packet, all of that sort of stuff. If you love what you do and you care this deeply, I can tell that you're an unbelievable employee.

6:03Speaker 1:Protect yourself, do your best in that role.

6:06Speaker 2:And at the time when you feel ready to be open about your pregnancy, tell them.

6:10Speaker 3:I'm going to add to that too. I absolutely 1000% agree with Lou. I will also add that I actually think your workplace will be really disappointed if you go back and say, I don't want to extend it because I'm pregnant. I think they'll say, don't be ridiculous. You're the best person for the role. Good people are really hard to get. You've already proved yourself. You know the business. If you said, I'm not going to take it because I'm pregnant, I guarantee you it's going to be harder for them to onboard somebody and train them up as opposed to just having you there for the length of time that you can commit to.

6:41Speaker 1:Exactly.

6:41Speaker 4:It's so much easier to have somebody that already knows the lay of the land.

6:43Speaker 2:And it's also, they're not offering you a permanent role too. Like they're seeing an end to this contract too. And like one day it might become permanent and I hope it is for you. But like, it's just another contract. If it ends a few months earlier than it was meant to, I don't think they're going to be that worried about it.

6:57Speaker 3:No, I get the guilt feeling, but I genuinely think it's you overthinking the situation. It is. And I believe that good people are really hard to find. And your company would not have extended your contract if you were shit.

7:07Speaker 1:100%. They really need you.

7:09Speaker 2:That DM makes me think like I wish that Loz and I could hire you because I can tell you're good at what you do.

7:13Speaker 4:Yeah, agreed.

7:14Speaker 2:So I think use that line of thinking to get yourself through the guilt.

7:18Speaker 1:Question three, Amanda.

7:19Speaker 2:I'm an Aussie living in New York and currently on parental leave. Next year, shortly after my return to work, there is a global team offsite in Australia where my company is headquartered. My question is, what age is it okay to leave for an international week-long work trip? For context, my baby will be around one at the time of the offsite. My options are to leave baby with full-time working dad in New York, she would have just started daycare, or to take baby with me and have her looked after by her grandparents who live in the same city as my offsite. It's hard to imagine leaving her right now as I'm exclusively breastfeeding, but not sure what I'll feel next year.

7:53Speaker 1:Thanks in advance.

7:54Speaker 4:Whenever you are comfortable doing so, girlfriend.

7:56Speaker 1:Exactly.

7:57Speaker 3:There is no rhyme or reason to when you can leave, in inverted commas, your child.

8:02Speaker 4:There are so many factors. It depends on your comfort levels.

8:06Speaker 1:Yeah.

8:06Speaker 3:So how you're going to feel being away from her and whether or not you will feel more confident and comfortable with her with you. How you're feeding your baby is another consideration. the temperament of your baby. I mean, sometimes I think people want a green light to be like, it's okay.

8:22Speaker 4:You can leave them. And we're going to give you that.

8:23Speaker 1:We're going to give you that.

8:24Speaker 4:We will give you that.

8:25Speaker 3:If your child's one and you feel like now is a safe time.

8:29Speaker 1:And they have a dad.

8:30Speaker 4:They have a dad. They also have grandparents.

8:33Speaker 3:If you feel like now's a safe time to travel and either take them with you or leave them with your partner, you're making the right decision.

8:39Speaker 1:100%.

8:40Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you what I would do if this was me, but I don't want this to actually like..

8:45Speaker 4:Would you bring?

8:45Speaker 2:I would bring because I would be like, it's a great opportunity for bonding with the grandparents.

8:50Speaker 3:Me too.

8:50Speaker 2:And my theory at this stage, I would probably have a different answer now with my kids' ages, but my theory for your stage is you need to remove..

8:59Speaker 1:Every possible anxiety. Yeah. So if you're going on a big trip like that.

9:02Speaker 2:Because Australia to New York is no small trip or the other way around, sorry, New York to Australia. I don't want you the night before being so riddled with anxiety that you find it hard to get on that plane.

9:12Speaker 4:And then you can't focus when you're here.

9:14Speaker 2:Yeah.

9:14Speaker 3:Because you'll be FaceTiming the whole time. You'll be upset. You'll be scrolling through your photos at night, which I mean, you're going to do anyway.

9:20Speaker 4:I'm not going to lie. Everybody does that when they're away from their kids.

9:22Speaker 1:Every single night.

9:23Speaker 4:But it's not going to ease it. or make that trip enjoyable at all.

9:27Speaker 1:Yeah.

9:27Speaker 2:So my sort of gut feeling would be maybe take the baby on this one and then maybe next time leave the baby at home once you've done it once.

9:34Speaker 4:I completely agree.

9:35Speaker 2:I'm a big one for just removing all barriers that are going to create extra stress. And if they don't need to be there, if you have those willing grandparents that are really happy to help and you know that they actually will genuinely offer that support that you need to get through that conference or whatever it is, I think go for it. Equally, if that's not sitting well with you and you want to leave baby at home with dad, they will be fine.

9:54Speaker 1:With the dad.

9:55Speaker 2:Absolutely We wouldn't even be having this question written in from a dad.

10:00Speaker 1:No, we wouldn't.

10:00Speaker 3:But I think it's so funny how nervous women get around the issue of leaving your child. It's also okay, regardless of whether it's for a work event or not, it's okay to want time alone.

10:10Speaker 4:I think we need to acknowledge that.

10:13Speaker 3:I know that you're saying this is for a a one week work trip, you don't have to justify it to spend that time away. If you want to tack on a weekend just to catch up with friends, you can also do that if you've got friends in Australia.

10:26Speaker 1:You're still a stunning mother.

10:27Speaker 4:You are still a stunning mother.

10:29Speaker 3:So Lou and I would probably both take the baby only because it's a great age to travel. If they were like 18 months, I'd be like, Me, maybe recess.

10:36Speaker 1:Well, the baby will be one. Perfect. Do we call that a good age for flying?

10:39Speaker 4:Yeah, because they're usually not walking at one.

10:41Speaker 1:Yeah, true.

10:41Speaker 4:It's when they walk.

10:42Speaker 1:My kids weren't walking at one.

10:43Speaker 4:Yeah, me either.

10:44Speaker 3:So for me, I've always found it a little bit tricky from 18 months to three that I'm.

10:48Speaker 4:Always like, oh, shit, it's a long flight.

10:50Speaker 1:Do you know what, though?

10:51Speaker 2:We took Ray to Bali when he was 15 months and I'm pretty convinced that was the worst age to travel.

10:55Speaker 4:Oh, my God, okay.

10:56Speaker 1:So that's pretty close. I'm not going to say it's going to be easy with the one year old on a plane.

11:00Speaker 4:No, but it's cute.

11:01Speaker 1:Mems.

11:02Speaker 2:But I think the nostalgia of me of them having that time with their grandparents is probably winning me over. Plus with the fact that you're returning to work, then you have this trip.

11:10Speaker 1:It feels like a lot.

11:11Speaker 4:Yeah, I agree.

11:11Speaker 2:If you can handle it stunningly, baby with dad. If it's feeling like too much, go with what we said.

11:16Speaker 1:Yep.

11:17Speaker 3:If you have loved today's episode, please leave us a positive review. Keep sending in your motherhood and career questions. We love seeing them. The more salacious, the better. And we will see you next week. Thank you.