I have worked at a large metro hospital for 26 years, the last 15 of which have been Saturday and Sunday only. I have been part time since my youngest was born. This has been mutually beneficial for both my employer and myself. I have received abbreviated benefits befitting a part time employee which has made me less expensive to have on staff compared to full timers. My schedule allowed me to be available for my children the majority of the week, which has been very important to me.
I have been fortunate to have a good balance between work and family.

I am an exemplary employee, no issues with management, have taken on projects, etc. over the years, and held leadership positions at different times throughout the years. In other words, I like my job and have been extremely happy there. I'd be hard pressed to find anyone I've worked with (I'm a respiratory therapist) doctors, nurses, other therapists to say anything but positive things about my performance. I enjoy what I do, I take it seriously and am professional.

In the last 15 years our department has seen 4 managers. The current manager has had the position less than 2 years, the previous 3 were all "let go" for various reasons. The current manager, frankly, instills little confidence in me and I feel he is in over his head. He is disliked by the majority of employees... I know because I hear complaints a lot! He seems to have a "knee jerk" reaction to everything that comes up. If he's told such and such, he sends out scathing, patronizing emails department-wide. He has a rigid, inflexible adherence to rules. He has fired 6 employees in the time he's been there. In his defense, he has a lot on his plate and very little clinical skill to help him navigate issues related to patient care. Unfortunately for him and for us, administration looks to him to monitor and make improvements and keep up to date with patient therapy, including life support! He's been out of the clinical realm for almost 20 years.

Whether this matters or not, I don't know, but I felt it was important to set the stage here and not just ask a question without some background.

Three weeks ago he informed me that he is converting my position from part time to full time. No discussion, no query, just simply that I'm going full time. He said "We have to hire more people, we're just so busy!" We have a pool of per diem therapists of which at least 2 have been clamoring for full time positions for months! I have expressed my distress at this proposition twice in the last few weeks. I have no desire to be obligated to work an extra day (12 hours) every week. I have pitched in and helped out during the week over a dozen times in the last 4 or 5 months and offered to continue to do this. I asked him to please keep me part time so I'm not obligated to another day.

He is standing firm and is essentially forcing me to full time status. I am the only part timer in my department. None of the previous managers ever remotely even hinted at full time, no matter how ridiculously busy it got. I feel like he's not telling me the real reason he wants me to come in during the week. I think everything from "helping" his shortcomings clinically to making me uncomfortable enough to quit (I make Baylor pay along with 5 other long timers and we are expensive hourly, granted).

There are several other departments in the hospital, such as nursing, and radiology, that have part time employees including part time weekend employees. I know that when radiology got raises several years back, our (then) manager went to administration to insist we got raises as well. We got those raises, because they can't do one thing for one department and not for another. Isn't the same true with part time status employees? Can he fire me if I refuse to "convert" to full time?

Is there anything I can do? I haven't been to HR yet because I wanted some information without going to an employment attorney or something drastic like that. It's possible HR doesn't realize that this is against my wishes.

Any thoughts out there? Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any comments or advice would be appreciated!

You just might end up out the door on this one if you don't "go along" with the manager's insistence here that you work more hours. You need to remember you are an employee, not the employer. The employer is the one who calls the shots.

Just because you enjoyed 26 years there and 15 years as a part time employee is wonderful and all, but you are not the employer. Tenure and longevity at a job these days is a thing of the past.

You could fight this but plan on fighting it in the unemployment line.

If you really feel strongly about this - answer me one question.
Do you have a written contract with this hospital? If you do then no, they can't just force you into more hours. If you don't have any written contract then you are at their whim as to what they want you to do - part time employee or no part time employee. You are an employee period.

The employer can change your shedule as they wish. You have no choice and no recourse.

You can be fired for not being flexible in changing schedules. You can ask that you be looked at if they can ever go back to part time.

You also can go to Human Resources and ask to be transferred to a department that allows part time. If there are any positions open this may be considered by HR. If not you are out of luck.

You are very lucky you were able to work part time while you were raising your young children. Now that they are older than it should be easier to work full time hours.

Our company just terminated someone for this reason because they wanted to go part time and we said no part time and it caused an attitude change and we are replacing this individual with someone that will work the schedule we wish with a positive attitude.

Yes they may change you anytime you want, You can push it all you want, go to the bosses boss, go to HR, but remember, even if you "win" then the boss will be upset about you, and I bet find fault in what you do after that.