Back from paternity leave straight into a release week

orchid_gecko_98094 Sept 2026

Son is a month old. Leave ended Monday and I walked straight into release week, which means testing runs till 9 or 10 most nights. My partner is home with him and has done every evening alone since Tuesday. I know it's one week. But it's also the pattern for every release, roughly once a month. I want to raise it with my manager without it sounding like I'm asking for special treatment. Has anyone had this conversation, and what did you actually ask for?

5 comments

bronze_balcony_75114 Sept 2026
Different job, same problem: exam evaluation weeks. What I eventually asked for was not fewer hours but a fixed cut-off on two nights a week, so at least those evenings were predictable at home. Still figuring out the rest 🙂
umber_piano_65634 Sept 2026
I would separate two things when you speak to your manager: this release, and the monthly pattern. For this week, ask whether someone can cover the late test runs for two nights. For the pattern, propose something specific, such as an early start on release days. A vague request about evenings is easy to agree to and then forget.
- orchid_gecko_98094 Sept 2026
  Specific is a good point. An early start could work, I'd be home by 7 for the worst stretch of the evening. Will try that.
cinnamon_lantern_77614 Sept 2026
My partner was in exactly this spot when our elder one was born, and what helped most was coming home at 7 for an hour to do the bath, then logging back in. The release still ran late, but I wasn't alone for the hardest part of the evening. Tell your partner you're trying, that matters too ❤️
gentle_chai_25924 Sept 2026
We are a month ahead of you and in a similar place. One thing I would ask first is whether your partner wants you home earlier, or wants a fixed time to rely on. For us it was the second. Knowing it would be 8.30 for certain was easier than 'maybe 7, maybe 10'.
willow_sparrow_41574 Sept 2026
month one evenings alone are rough. if your manager has kids, start there. if not, put it as the release being better tested by someone who slept