Gentlemen, do not hesitate to testify on info@cadremploi.fr if you have gone to 4/5th. Your testimonies could be the subject of another article. Specify in subject “#Man at 4/5th” and a journalist will contact you.
Elodie Pereira: “I didn’t want a fake 4/5th, with a drop in salary but without a drop in workload”
38 years old, recruitment officer at L’Olivier
Why go to 4/5th?
Thanks to the confinement, the couple bought a pretty house in Perreux-sur-Marne (94) with a lot of work to do and welcomed their second child. Left on maternity leave in January 2021, Elodie Pereira continues with parental leave until September 2021 and negotiates a 4/5th at that time. “Maturity at 40 is not the same as at 30. This time, I wanted to take it easy and have time for the children, time for me and my personal projects. I was able to negotiate it internally because the HR team had been reorganized and above all staffed with four additional people. And then, with the development of teleworking, my tasks related to office and “facilities” subjects were reduced. My workload has actually increased to 80%. I admit that I was indeed apprehensive about this part of the negotiation because around me, I have always seen false 4/5ths, therefore with a drop in salary but without a drop in the workload”, he explains. To date, in the group which has around 500 people, Elodie Pereira is the only part-time manager. In September 2022, she will make the decision to renew her part-time job or not.
His day off?
On Fridays, so that you can also enjoy time for yourself and your projects. “I don’t log on on Fridays, except sometimes out of curiosity but not at the request of my employer”, she insists. When she works, she telecommutes 2 to 3 days a week.
What about his 20% pay cut?
“We don’t really feel this drop in salary because since we have the house and our two children, we go out less with our friends, we have become more homebody. So we spend less. Having been on parental leave a few months before my part-time job, we were already used to reduced income. There, we receive around 200 euros from PreParE (Editor’s note: shared child education benefit) from CAF, so it’s manageable”, she argues. And there was never any question of her spouse going part-time because “He didn’t have the will, whereas I did. The shortfall in his salary, which is greater than mine, would have had serious consequences on our family budget..
what she won
Of the serenity thanks to a lighter workload and flexibility in his work organization. And especially time to breathe. “Sometimes on Fridays I babysit my daughter, but not systematically. Otherwise, I take the opportunity to train myself on subjects that are close to my heart, to take care of more personal subjects »she illustrates.
what she lost
Apart from 20% salary, she has lost nothing according to her.
His advice to those who are thinking about going to 4/5th
“For this to work and in order not to lose the legitimacy or the interest of the missions, you have to accept a certain flexibility. In other words, accepting to work exceptionally on your day off. It is also necessary modulate their use of teleworking during the 4 days of work. The risk is to be less present, therefore less visible for teams and managers. You also have to be in the right communication loops, work as much as possible on cross-functional projects, lend a hand in order to show your permanent motivation even when working 4 days out of 5”.
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Céline Graziani: “You have to offer an intelligent organization to your employer in order to avoid disorganizing a service”
46 years old, administrative manager of the Oxygen agency
Why go to 4/5th?
It was at the end of 2008, with the arrival of her first child, that this former entertainment worker opted for employment but at 4/5ths. “I wanted to spend more time with my child and the next ones (note: she now has 3) but also to alleviate the galleys of the mode of care of Wednesday. I applied for a full-time offer and during the recruitment process, I expressed the wish to work at 4/5th. My request convinced my interlocutor, herself a mother. She knew that women in my situation are generally good at managing their time, priorities, emergencies. I accepted a workload equivalent to full-time with the possibility of managing my working time as I wish. For me, it’s a freedom and not a constraint “she says.
Its day off
On Wednesdays to manage the children. But also to evacuate the domestic tasks and to be able to benefit from a weekend without stewardship.
What about his 20% pay cut?
By negotiating her 4/5th as soon as she was hired, Céline Graziani did not feel like she had to make concessions on her salary. “We negotiated at the same time the organization of my working time and my remuneration. It was balanced in my opinion.she recalls.
What did she win?
“Availability for my children and quality relationships with them. I also allow myself time for myself. I also learned to optimize my working time as much as possible. Admittedly, at the office or working remotely (3 days a week), I take less breaks than my colleagues, but it doesn’t matter. I have never been held back in my career development. The proof, I was hired as an administrative assistant and I am now administrative manager, in charge of cross-functional projects and responsible for recruiting interns »she appreciates.
What has she lost?
“The negative side is obviously the enormous mental load concentrated over 4 days. But in the end, it makes sense to me. I may also have lost some form of employability. If I had to look for another job today, it would necessarily be 4/5 and not sure that an employer would accept my conditions”she regrets.
His advice to those who are thinking about going to 4/5th
“To ask for a 4/5th if you are already in the company, you must have demonstrated your efficiency and your ability to concentrate. And propose an intelligent organization to his employer in order to avoid disrupting a service, for example. You also have to be ready to take on a delirious mental load and a sustained work pace,” she insists.
Valerie*: Clearly let everyone know your OFF day”
Engineer in industry
Why go to 4/5th?
It was at the birth of her daughter in 2014, but also because her job was stressful and tiring, that in 2014, Valérie negotiated a 4/5th. “The hardest thing is not the drop in salary but it is to make people who are not part-time understand that for me, for example, they must reduce the deadlines for rendering a project by 20% . And that takes time.”, she says. When they stall a meeting on Wednesday, no question for her to connect. “There is a report so much the better, there is not so much the worse. If my presence is really essential, let them stall the meeting for another day. Over time, I learned to take a step back and really disconnect”underlines this engineer based in Toulouse.
Its day off
Wednesdays to take care of her daughter and then her second child born 4 years later.
What about his 20% pay cut?
“It makes sense because I work less, so it’s not a subject”she insists.
What did she win?
“Time with the kids and time for me. On Wednesday mornings, while they are at school, I sew, make soaps, play video games. I also recovered a better state of health, it was essential”.
What has she lost?
Nothing.
His advice to those who are thinking about going to 4/5th
“Don’t feel guilty for not being present one day in the week. You will probably be more efficient working 4 days out of 5 than some full-time people who do presenteeism just because their manager is still looking at the schedules and not the results. Clearly inform everyone of your OFF day. For example by making you unavailable every Wednesday on the shared calendars of the box. Finally, it is necessary to ensure a real lightening of the workload. It must mechanically drop by 20% otherwise it means that you will work for free. If the workload remains the same, try to negotiate a switch to a 4-day week. In other words 4 longer working days, one day off but a full-time salary”.
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Magali Héberard: “With hindsight, Wednesday is the worst day to take to really enjoy your 4/5th”
48 years old, marketing director at L’Olivier Assurance
Why go to 4/5th?
At the time, she was consulting director in an advertising agency (BETC), and her second daughter had just pointed the tip of her nose. Employers could not refuse the transition to 4/5th after the birth of a second child. She therefore seizes this opportunity, believing she can slow down. Today, she is back full time.
Its day off
Wednesday. “Except that every Thursday morning, we had a client meeting. So on Wednesday evening, I checked my emails and prepared the briefing for the next day. In reality, I worked late every night of the week to make up for my day off because in a business providing services, the customer is king. You have to comply with its demands, present or not. And it was not possible to delegate certain tasks “, she recalls.
What about his 20% pay cut?
Magalie Héberard had anticipated this drop in remuneration. On the other hand, at the time, she had not measured the impact that this would have on her retirement. “You have to take it into account even at a very young age”she insists.
What did she win?
“Privileged, quality time with my children and reduced logistics at the weekend”.
What has she lost?
“It’s obvious, this 4/5th didn’t do my career any good. My day off closed doors and opportunities for advancement. I wasn’t necessarily put on…