Would you love the chance to turn your full-time position into a part-time job? It would leave you more time to spend with your family and still keep you current in your career field.
Some of the most popular and growing ways to create a more flexible work schedule include telecommuting, job sharing, compressed workweek, and a part-time flexible schedule.
Unfortunately, there are not a lot of permanent part-time professional positions available. Most people who find part-time flexible work have previously established full-time work the renegotiate with their supervisors for a more flexible schedule after they have proven themselves essential to an organization.
My boss would never let me do that! You’d be surprised. Flexible work schedules are gaining more popularity with organizations because of higher staff retention rates, return on training investment, reduction in absenteeism, sickness, and stress; improved productivity and performance; increased morale, commitment, and loyalty.
As I researched the topic of flexible work schedules, I found a wonderful resource called, www.workoptions.com. The website’s author, Pat Katepoo created this helpful website full of terrific ideas for creating flexible work solutions. She provides proposal templates to give to your supervisor for telecommuting, job sharing, compressed workweek flex, part-time flex, and maternity leave. The maternity leave proposal is free while the others cost about $30 each. However, she provides the first page of the proposals for free.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Do the numbers - Is it cost effective to work part-time? Do the costs of childcare outweigh the potential income? Is there another way to stay current in my field without the cost of child care? For instance, joining a professional organization, volunteering, and reading journals are a few ways to stay current in your career field without working full or part-time.
Honestly ask yourself – and be ready to address the following concerns: Will there be equity issues if you have a flexible schedule? Has it ever been done before? Can you really fulfill your duties in a part-time position? Professional-level part-timers often end up working more hours than they are officially supposed to because of the pressure they put on themselves. If there is customer contact, what happens when you’re not available?
Change perspective - Look at the situation from your supervisor’s and organization’s viewpoint. You’re not going to get too far if you just think about what you need. Is there a unique need that only you can fulfill for the company? Reduction in absenteeism and staff turnover, among the specific talents you bring to the position could be good points to make.
Working from home – ask yourself, can I really get work done at home? Will family duties get in the way? Will I not be motivated to do my work? It often works best to set up a specific schedule and stick to it rather than try to get work done in-between loads of dishes, laundry, and chaperoning kids to soccer practice.
Good communication - working from home can be great for you but cause a lot of stress for your employer and co-workers. Set up consistent systems of communication to let your colleagues and supervisor know what you are working on and what you have accomplished so there is no doubt in their mind that you are doing your work.
Talk to others - Talk to other part-time professions about how they secured their positions. What do they wish they had done differently?
References
2001, Gardella, R. Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge –
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/pubitem.jhtml?id=2458&t=special_reports
2005, Katepoo, P., http://www.workoptions.com/
2005, http://www.babycentre.co.uk/refcap/551548.html
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