On paternity leave for next month. Also have a 3 yr old. Partner emails and asks if I have 10 hours over the next couple of weeks to work. What do I do?

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If you're on leave, be on leave and enjoy the time with your family! Just let the partner know (assuming they didn't). I also think it's important to set clear boundaries now so partners don't think they can creep into other leave time (e.g., vacation). It's ok to take time off completely.

I'm trying to find a good way to say the next part, and it's probably going to be a little clumsy. As a woman, I also made an immediate assumption that the partner probably does know and just doesnt respect paternity leave as s/he might maternity leave. I think it's important to also think about how setting these boundaries can help normalize paternity leave more broadly. I'm sure there's people on here who might know this better, but when men take paternity leave, it helps minimize the motherhood penalty women get hit with and leads to more women staying in the workforce. There's some great studies out there talking about how men taking more leave helps women, so you can also look at it as being an ally. :)

likesmart

+1000

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Don’t give your wife another reason to murder you.

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Please do all women a favor and say no. Paternity leave and maternity leave should be treated the same. We need to develop a culture where parental leave boundaries are respected whether it’s paternity or maternity. It starts with men taking full leave and cutting off work during that time.

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This is difficult, but I would not set a precedent where the partner thinks this is okay. Ten hours can easily turn into twenty or thirty hours in the next few weeks. One month is already going to go by too quickly. Enjoy the time with your family, and congrats on the new addition.

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Other than the straightforward “you do it” or “you don’t do it” options, you could happily agree but request that your leave be extended by the number of business day increments you end up working.

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Maybe too late for this now, but set that auto response email up ASAP that you will be out of the office until ... and will have limited ability to check emails, etc... and just leave it at that!

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How important is the partner to your career?

likesmart

In the end, I think he'd probably be understanding if you turn him down in a polite way. If not, he's an ass who I wouldn't want to work for anyway.

It's also important to note that your employer legally should not be asking you to do work while on paternity leave taken under FMLA and related state law (if covered in your state). I know lawyers don't like to start employment lawsuits, but if he's doing this to other people on parental leave too, that could become a liability risk for your firm.

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FMLA is unpaid, so OP is probably not on FMLA leave. That said, it’s important to have FMLA as a backup. I was at a firm that tried to wriggle out of giving me (paid) paternity leave under their policy. After a long fight about it, I simply notified them that was going to take unpaid FMLA leave whether they liked it or not. They backed down.

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Hi all. Thanks for all of your comments. The partner at issue was female, just for the record. I originally declined to help citing the need for me to be with my family and help my wife during this transition period. The partner seemed very OK with that. I later second guessed my decision and went back to her to offer my help. She said she had what she needed. I still don’t feel good about the situation. But this was a no win situation for me from the moment I was asked to help. Damned if I do; damned if I don’t. Thanks again, everyone.

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You did the right thing. Don’t look back. Hope your new arrival, wife, and big bro/sis all are well and as happy as sleep deprived people can be.

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Thanks everyone. The partner knew I was on paternity leave when the partner asked about the work. And knew I would be going on paternity leave when the partner asked me to help on the case. The request to do work while on leave was couched as “if you were planning to work,” and “if you are willing to work,” but “understandable if not,” “will find someone else for the work,” and “there will be more to do when you get back.”

I view the partner as important in my practice group and important within the firm, but unlikely to give me enough work to fully raise me within the firm. This is my first year I can be considered for partner (and unlikely thing to occur this year) and the partner may be an important voice in that discussion.

My wife is already very anxious about me returning to work, and is unhappy with me for even considering agreeing to help. I’m still torn, however. I’m the only money maker in my family and I am trying to grow my career. Will this “10 hrs” matter that much in the long run? Will my willingness to help while out on paternity leave matter more than just “10 hrs?” I’m confused as to the right thing to do here.

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TL1 is right,100%, as usual. Turn it down. Will the 10 hours matter in the long run - no. Do they matter now, this week? Absolutely. Your baby changes in 10 hours. You have this one opportunity to be part of it, don’t miss it.

Remember, no one has or wants a tombstone that reads “I wish I had spent more time in the office.”

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Tag in a different associate

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I think the reasonableness of this depends on the facts. With my second I took an extended paternity leave so after I’d already been on leave for ~6 weeks I was asked to help prep a witness for a few hours for a case I’d been working on. Someone else doing it would have taken them a long time to get up to speed and they’d gone out of their way to not bother me besides that. We were still sending our oldest to daycare to keep his normal routine so I could schedule it during nap time. In that case my wife and I were doing fine with the baby so she didn’t mind and neither did I.

Otherwise I’d just say things are difficult at home right now and you’re not sure that you could juggle it. And leave it at that.

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Does your firm let you bill time while on leave? Or is this supposed to be an off-the-books arrangement with the partner?

What year are you? If you have a few years under your belt, maybe offer to help a junior do the work (with your sage guidance from time to time).

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10 hrs over a couple weeks isn’t much...unless you hate the partner do it. I understand boundaries but that’s not much to ask.

Say no. Power is assumed. Assume the power. People treat you as badly as you allow them to.

Appreciate the clarification. And I agree that folks who assign work to people on leave suck.

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