Part Time Work Questions

Anonymous
Just reading the string about working out of obligation, and I too, am in that boat, after my husband and I bought our house at the height of the market a few years ago, before we had our baby, and I just couldn't recognize that I could be in a place where I wouldn't want to work full time.
Now that we have an almost two year old and a baby on the way this spring, I'm really struggling emotionally and (even more importantly) logistically with how I'm going to handle f/t work, two kids, husband, home, etc. I'm hoping my company will allow me to work 4 days/week, but not sure that will pan out.
My question ... if you work part time, would you mind sharing your stories? What is your field? How did you work out a part time situation? What does part time mean in your case (ie - 4 days/week, 15 hours/week, etc?)
Many thanks for your stories. I'll have summer of maternity leave and figure that will be good time to start figuring out if I need to transition into a new field, or what...
Anonymous
I love working part-time. I returned to work after being at home 6 months and now work 3 days a week as a physician. I feel like I have the best of both worlds and can't imagine ever working full-time. You can also get some errands done on the weekdays when stores are quieter, so the weekends are just for family instead of running around town.
Anonymous
I work part time (24 hrs per week / 60% time) and I'm pretty pleased with it. I work for a policy nonprofit, and I have an advanced degree and specialized skills, so I think that gave me more leverage to get a part-time position. My employer had a vacancy for the position for a long time, and one staffer there convinced them to consider part-time people for the job, which has worked out. I was hired to do part-time, which is unusual, but is advantageous that it's not like I "scaled back" my hours such that my employer will expect me to scale back up to full-time.

I am in the office three days a week, and sometimes it is a bit of a problem for me to turn things around on days I'm not in. I have a full-time co-worker who does the same function as me and is willing to pick up where I leave off when it's pressing and finish off my projects, so that is very helpful.

good luck to you!
Anonymous
I work part-time. I am only obligated to work 20 hours a week. I usually work 3 days a week, I like having the mix working 3 days and staying home 2 days with my kids. Lately I've taken on a bigger project than I'd like so I've been working closer to 40 hours per week. My project is due this week and I've already informed my boss that once it is in, I am going back to my normal hours. I really don't like working 40 hours per week -- I don't get to see my kids as much and the weekends are spent running errands. Usually I try to get the grocery shopping and some of the laundry done on my days home with the kids so that the weekends can be a bit more relaxing and fun for the family.

I am a professional and like the others have a skill set that is in demand. I've been working part-time for 4 1/2 years and have no plans to return to full-time in the near future.
Anonymous
Like some of the PP's I work about 20 hours per week, two full days and one half day. I am a physical therapist, so at times I work a little less or a little more, depending on our patient load. I was in the fortunate position of being able to decide how many hours to work , versus having my employer dictate it. I work three non consecutive days, which is better for my patients but I also find it nice to know mentally that I only have to go one or two days and then I have a day off to regroup. I did find it very hard to go back at first, I think because it was my first and she was only 10 weeks when I went back, but now I do like having the mental challenge of my job. I still sometimes get overwhelmed, and I only have one baby, but I think in the long run this is what's best for my family. Financially, I am not in a position to stop working even if I truly wanted to.

Good luck and I hope you are able to find the situation that works for you and your family.
Meconbear
Member Offline
I work 4 days a week as a management consultant and policy analyst. I feel blessed to work at a company that really values work/life balance (we were in the Washingtonian as one of the most Family Friendly companies) and I feel like I have my toes in my profession while having Fridays with DS to play, run, errands, and have a little alone time with my son. That said, I think my career trajectory has definitely suffered (you really can't do it all PT), and sometimes Fridays at home were very LONG (I don't have the gene for being a SAHM without going nuts), but I think this situation works out best for me and my family. I work 4 vs. 3 days a week b/c I get full benefits at 32 hours vs. pro-rated benefits at less than that. Plus, I really don't think I could lead the studies that I do without being around as much as I am.

Good luck and I hope you find a solution that works well for you and your family!
Anonymous
I am an attorney who works 3 days/week at a non-profit. I was very lucky in that I was hired PT, because my boss needed additional help, but not so much that it required another full-time attorney. I knew my boss and the organization before I took the job, because they were one of my clients back when I worked at a law firm before I had kids.

I absolutely love working PT and it is truly the best of both worlds for me. I was doing freelance consulting work before I took this job, which I enjoyed, but also found stressful (to gin up business) and lonely (working from home). My current position is certainly not a fancy DC job and is probably not the career choice I would make if I didn't have children. But, for this time in my life, it is perfect.

I also have a 2-year-old and one on the way, and I can't imagine trying to balance that with FT work (esp. as an attorney in DC where FT often means 50-60 hour work weeks).

PT opportunities can be hard to find, but I think people are often surprised to learn how much their employer will accommodate their needs in order to keep them. You may have more leverage than you think.

Good luck!!
Anonymous
can anyone list the companies they work for that are somehat open to part-time arrangements? May be tough since I know many arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis....

I am thinking it may be hard being in a FT position and downgrading to PT. Wondering if the boss respects the reduced schedule or still emails/calls during the day/times off?
Anonymous
bump... any more thoughts?
Thanks!
Anonymous
Hi there
I think alot of companies are turning to creative solutions as there is a lack of talent in many fields. A great new book to read is "Mass Career Customization," written by Cathy Benko and others. This is where you can move up and down on some key parts of your career, such as location of work, level of travel, hours, level of responsibility, and speed of moving ahead. During different parts of your career you can change the levels of the areas above. I think it really depends on the type of position you are seeking, some will be easier to go p/t than others.

Big companies are buying into this. However, my personal finding is that people need to trust and know you first. Easier to make a current position p/t than it is to talk someone into a new p/t situation. I work at a big four accounting firm and we can ask for P/T status after a certain amount of time. (2 years?)



Anonymous
Unfortunately, the Federal Governement really seems to be behind in part time arrangements. I wanted to come back four days a week after having my second child, and was told that it was not possible because nobody else had a part time arrangement.

To the OP, I do work full time and do have two kids and I manage. I pass out on the couch most nights at around 9, but after having been back at work for three months now, do manage to get some kind of dinner on the table at least three nights a week and do manage to keep the house somewhat presentable. I just have had to learn to let things go more than I am comfortable with (dirty dishes, etc) and have found that my husband pitches in much more than he used to.

I hope that you are able to work out a part time arrangement - I think it really is the ideal situation.
Anonymous
I'm an attorney working 3 days a week, 8 hours a day for the government. I requested part-time work while still on maternity leave and shortly after I returned to work, but was denied. About 3 months after returning from leave, I quit -- I told my supervisor I just couldn't do full-time. I guess it had never occurred to my supervisor that I'd actually leave if I couldn't work part-time. She came back to me a day later and told me she'd rather have me part-time than not at all. I lucked out.
Anonymous
I'm replying to this to bump it up and to put a question out there to those of you part-timers. Have you gone back to work part-time for the money or for your career/sanity? I have a 14-month old daughter and don't think we'll be having another for at least another year, so the idea of part-time work is now appealing to me for a few reasons --- a) to get some much-needed adult interaction b) to keep my skills fresh (I'm a graphic designer) and c) to give my life more balance. The reason I'm hesitant are that I don't think that financially it would be worth it once I pay for part-time childcare. Most daycares don't offer part-time arrangements, and a nanny share might be more than I actually take home at the end of the week/pay period. That being said, we don't really "need" the money. As you can see, I'm rather torn about this. I know as designer I can work from home (I do some pro bono and freelance work now), but most of the reason I'd consider going back to an office environment is to get out of the house and work face-to-face with others in my field (the "balance in my life" reason I mentioned before). Also, how easy is it to find a part-time childcare arrangement that fits exactly with your part-time work schedule? I have so many questions I should probably start a new thread, huh?
Anonymous
I work about 30 hours per week in a job which gives me a lot of flexibility. I never wanted to do a 3 or 4 day week; I preferred to have a shorter day, since my kids are in school all day, adn this way I can pick them up. I'm very happy to have this option, and it pays extremely well, but I should note that I had a lot of experience in my field which I assume my employers considered before offering me this gig.
Anonymous
I work 4 days a week (32 hours) for the federal gov't. I was full time before I had my first, and just flat-out told my boss that I would only work 4 day a week when I returned. No discussion.

When I switched positions within my agency, I also told my new supervisor that I only work 4 days a week. Everyone has been willing to give it a try. I think if you have already proven yourself, most people give you the benefit of the doubt.

I have looked at a position at a non-profit and they were also open to 4 days a week.

I would love 3 days instead, but haven't found that option yet...
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