FT to PT to FT - Federal Job

[Anonymous]

I have friends in the private sector who have successfully scaled back to part time work and ramped back up to full time with the same company. Is such a thing possible in federal govt? I’m in the thick of it with child rearing and would readily go part time (3/4 or 1/2) if I knew that I could bump back up to FT again in two to three years. Is moving a person from PT to FT as difficult as it is for an agency to get a new position approved by Congress in their budget?

[Anonymous]

I think this is really going to depend on the agency and position. For instance, I’ve done this at my agency. I was full time for 9 years, part time (32 hrs / week) for 3 years, and have been full time again for 5 years. But even at my agency the degree to which this is accepted as a viable path varies among departments.

[Anonymous]

Pp here - also, I don’t know if this is true everywhere, but at my agency part-time employees are a separate category for RIF purposes. I would consider going part time again (I really liked the schedule), but not in the current budgetary environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp here - also, I don’t know if this is true everywhere, but at my agency part-time employees are a separate category for RIF purposes. I would consider going part time again (I really liked the schedule), but not in the current budgetary environment.

+1. I would wait a few months before doing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp here - also, I don’t know if this is true everywhere, but at my agency part-time employees are a separate category for RIF purposes. I would consider going part time again (I really liked the schedule), but not in the current budgetary environment.

Yes, I was hired as part time from day 1 so can't speak to OPs question other than I know a colleague who asked to go to full time in the past and that was denied. Anyway, apparently part time employees were not even considered in the most recent RIF; also not DRP eligible.

[Anonymous]

Agency dependent. I am at the Patent Office and we freely can alternate between PT and FT. But as others point out, part time folks are in their own RIF category and get fired first.

[Anonymous]

This varies widely by agency/department and also from one line manager to another in the same agency.

I know of one case where some went from FT to part-time-on-call for 3-4 years and then came back FT. However, that line manager was much more accommodating than was normal for that organization. In the end, that person left the government entirely a few years after returning.

[Anonymous]

I went full time to part time and back to full time. I was also promoted while I was part time from a 14-15.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Does anyone know if making the jump from FT to PT to FT requires creating a new position? Or can PT to FT only be done if a new position is approved by the budget office?

[Anonymous]

To clarify my above post - my manager would be supportive but not if they lose a FT position that they can’t get back at a future date.

[Anonymous]

You’re actually not in a part-time position you’re in a full-time position, taking leave without paying.

Every 80 hours that you take leave without pay, they adjust your leave and service comp date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re actually not in a part-time position you’re in a full-time position, taking leave without paying.

Every 80 hours that you take leave without pay, they adjust your leave and service comp date.

No.

I’ve gone from FT to PT and back to FT.

A PT schedule is not the same as LWOP, and the accrual and service comp date are not handled that way in a PT schedule.

Leave accrual is prorated to the percentage you actually work (e.g. a 4 hour accrual for a FT employee is reduced to 3 hours for a 0.75 employee). FEHB contributions increase by a prorated amount also.

My service comp date is the same and never changed. My FERS service credit will be prorated for the period of time I was part time so I won’t get credit for one full year, only the part of the year I actually worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Does anyone know if making the jump from FT to PT to FT requires creating a new position? Or can PT to FT only be done if a new position is approved by the budget office?

It doesn’t require a new position at my agency. All positions are full time with employees being allowed to work a part time schedule in that same position/slot.