There are several ways in which one can change their work hours to meet the needs of family, from going part time to working a variety of flex schedules. Some people even supplement their part time or flex schedule with telecommuting hours. See the telecommuting FAQ for more information on this option.

1) What are part time and full time?

In general, full time is considered to be 40 hours per week or more, while part time usually ranges between 20 and 32 hours per week, although other variations certainly exist.

2) What is flex time?

Flex time is usually talking about full time hours, but either on fewer days with more hours per day, more days with fewer hours per day, or even a five-day schedule with shifted hours.

3) I couldn't afford to go part time a few years ago. Now I can, but my kids are already in school, so is it too late?

No, it's never too late to go part time if that's what you want to do. Working part time with school aged children has it's benefits in terms of helping with homework and other after school activities.

4) When people work part time, do they work 5 half-days or 3 full days? Which is better?

Different people do different things, depending on the type of job, their own working style, and their particular situation. Some jobs require a lot of concentration and are easier to do in 3 full days. 5 half-days would mean too many interruptions. Other jobs are better suited to 5 half-days, and would likely fall behind with 4 days away each week. The 5 half-day schedule also works well with school-aged children.

5) What flex time schedules do some people use?

Some people work 4 10-hour days per week. Some work 6 6.5-hour days per week, which can be a nice schedule if you have school-aged kids. One example of a five day schedule with shifted hours is to have one parent work early hours, say 6:45 to 3:15, while the other parent works slightly later hours, say 9:00 to 5:30. The parent working the later hours can handle the kids in the morning, and the parent working the early hours can be home when the kids get out of school in the afternoon.

6) What other personal benefits are there to part time or flex schedules?

With many alternative schedules you can avoid the peak traffic times on your commute. Those who have worked both full and part time schedules report that work is less stressful on a full time schedule, but home life is harried, while this situation is reversed when they work a part time schedule.

7) What benefits do companies see when they offer part time?

This was sent in by a friend who is an accounting big shot at a Big 6 accounting firm. Over the past few years they have tried to remedy the fact that so few WMOMS made partner:

"In the two-and -a-half years since we started the paid parental leave program (extra two weeks leave for birth or adoption if you'd been with the firm for five years) 297 people (57% male!) took advantage of this. We are now lowering the criteria to three years with the firm. In the same period of time, over 500 people set up flexible work arrangements. . . 81% of whom said they would have left the firm if they couldn't have had the arrangements. We have now made most administrative personnel and all but the newest staff eligible for the program (eligibility now starts after about two years of experience). By the way, this is not just for family responsibilities: we have at least one who cut back on their hours to volunteer at a shelter, one climbed Everest, and more than one Olympian took advantage of the program. I hope other companies that have problems with morale and turnover will pay attention."(Used with permission. Anonymity requested.)

"Boeing used to not be very family-friendly until they figured out what it cost them to replace all of us working Moms who were going to companies who were family friendly. As in everything Boeing does, they have a lot of studies, etc. to back it up. Maybe your personnel could contact our personnel..."When I was going part-time Personnel told me that I could work part-time for five years before it would start to cost them more than just replacing me (lost work, recruitment), not counting all of the knowledge, loyality, etc. they would lose."Also, since they have started offering part-time (which almost no one takes advantage of, so it is costing them a lot less to offer the benefit than they thought it would), they have found company loyality and job satisfaction have gone way up, not only for the person working the part-time, but for their co-workers (who see this as a potential benefit for themselves or their spouse) and the spouses (a lot of couples work at Boeing)."

(Used with permission by Mary P)

8) How well is part time working out for people?

"I personally know of part-time positions that have worked out o.k. The ones that have succeeded seem to be those that are designed as part-time jobs so the work load is in synch with the hours required. My experience with friends and other working moms has been that they are unhappiest with their part-time arrangement when their boss agreed to go down to part-time, yet the workload stayed the same as their previous full-time position. The Association of Part-Time Professionals lists this as one of the biggest downsides of negotiating for a part-time position when it wasn't designed to be one in the first place. Job sharing seems to be a better alternative since the workload is split. I've talked to a few job sharers and they LOVE their arrangement. More food for thought..."

(Used with permission by Chris P)

9) How do I go about negotiating a part time or flex time schedule?

Depending on your boss and the company you work for, you can sometimes just ask for it and get it, especially with flex time, even if it isn't explicitly stated as company policy. When negotiations are required, here are some tips:

"I wrote an article on this and did a couple seminars, as well. Here's what I learned from the experts:

• First "float" the idea by your boss in a general, non-threatening way so you can get a sense of his reaction and predict possible objections. You might say something like "I read an article recently that talked about the surge in part-time work -- what do you think about that?"
  
  
• Schedule a meeting to talk about the issue and ask your boss if he would like a written proposal. (If you've got a great relationship with him this may be too formal. However, others prefer it. Use your best judgement.) Timing is everything, so you might want to wait until things have settled down a bit, as others recommended. You might also consider talking to him when you look your best, for example, right after a major project has been completed or when you've achieved some other major goal.
  
  
• Either verbally or in writing, describe in detail how the work will get done and how your responsibilities will be handled under the part-time schedule. Be willing to negotiate on your schedule, for example, a three-day work week might not be as effective as working four shorter days. If working at home (a day or two a week) is an alternative, you might mention that. It's critical that you identify how the work flow/load will be affected by your suggested schedule and be prepared to address any obstacles with solutions.
  
  
• Be sure to identify your own strengths and use them as leverage points. What skills do you have that no one else in your department has?
  
  
• Keep emotion out of the issue. You need to be able to show your boss how the schedule will benefit both of you from a business perspective.
  
  
• Propose a trial period of 6 - 8 weeks. During that time, keep the lines of communication open with your boss so you can address any problems as they arise and find ways of dealing with them.
  
  
• Talk face-to-face with your co-workers and explain what you'll be doing. Try and address any of their objections. You don't want them to sabotage your schedule because they're resentful.
  
  
• The biggest objection you'll get is probably the response, "If I let you do it, everyone else will want to also." The response to this is that studies show this just doesn't happen. Not everyone can afford to work part-time, plus they're afraid of the effect it will have on their career. Of course, if you work with other moms, they might very well like to work part-time. You'll need to address that one in a way that proves your value to the organization.
  
  
• A good book to help you through the process is "Creating a Flexible Workplace" by Barney Olmsted and Suzanne Smith. Barney was the one who provided me with much of this information."

(Used with permission by Chris P)

10) Are there any support groups for part time workers?

Here is a partial list of groups available. Contact information is included where known.

Association of Part-Time Librarians
Association for Part-Time Professionals based in Washington, DC.

11) If I go part time, will I no longer get the choice assignments?

"You need to speak up about being on projects. Yes, I have had occasions where someone said, "Oh, she's part-time and can't do it." and I have always spoken up and taken the person to task (with a nice disingenuous smile on my face).

"I made a list of all my tasks and evaluated them. I found persons to mentor and develop who were glad to get more responsibility. Also, here "visibility" is important and many junior people welcome the chance to sit in on meetings with upper management. All it really is, is empowering and trusting others."

"Once you are established you carefully pick and choose new projects. I don't have it down quite yet as on my last review someone wrote that I am taking on too much work for a part-time person. But it is amazing how much you can say no to, once you get over some ego aspects!."
(Used with permission. Anonymity requested.)