Flexi-Work Arrangements: Part-time Work

Rationale for Part-time work:

Flexible work schedules, telecommuting and an increased reliance on part-time work are all becoming more popular alternatives to the traditional nine-to-five working day. Over the years, a growing number of women as well as men are pushing for part-time work due to a spectrum of reasons. This trend is fuelled by the fact that some workers are tired of the stress and long working hours and are now opting for shorter working hours to better balance their lifestyle demands.

Part-time options are often appealing to employees at either end of the career spectrum. For young working adults, the need for part-time work can arise from child/eldercare responsibilities, studies or simply the need for more personal time to socialize. In addition, flexible working hours can be used as a means for the mature workers to negotiate part-time employment as a transition into retirement. As a result, some companies offer part-time employment as a tool to attract and retain both younger and senior workers.

Finding a well-compensated part-time job that matches the skills set of an employee to the business needs is indeed a challenge. Aside from the service industry and home-based jobs, part-time positions are rarely advertised and often exist only because they have been customized to meet a particular individual’s needs within an organization. How is it possible then to create or find a part-time position that matches an employee’s needs with his/her expertise and working experience?

Present a business case for management that part-time work is essential:

Well, that really depends on what the worker can and have to offer to his/her company. If a worker is valued and accomplished enough in their career, they will have greater bargaining power to negotiate a new working arrangement. With a good track record, employers would rather have the staff stay and work part-time rather than leave. Do note that if the Work-life needs of the employees are not met, the company may lose the worker altogether. Under such scenario, the costs involved to train an employee and the tacit knowledge gathered over the years will be lost if an employee decides to leave the organization due to work-family conflict. This problem will be exacerbated if the staff decides to leave for a competitor who may offer a more flexible time schedule. In addition, there is a need to demonstrate to management that part-time work will not affect the quality of work, workplace productivity and customer/supplier relations. The number of working hours should not be the only measure of productivity. The part-timers’ quality of work should be similar to that of the full-time employees and the evaluation of his/her performance should be measured against the standards used for all employees.

Job Redesign for Part-time Work:

To create part-time openings, job redesign must be carried out. For some workers, working part-time means “downgrading” to a job that have lower responsibilities or a reduced workload. Nevertheless, there are always alternative measures to counter these issues. For example, if an existing task cannot be done in less than five days a week, job sharing may be introduced as a solution to this problem. Under this scenario, another staff may be hired to cover the same job duties so that the working hours per se can be reduced. A lot of part-time jobs are only artificially part-time since some workers may end up spending their time checking their e-mails and answering phone calls while away from the office. However with job sharing, there is always someone in the office to cover their duties when they are not around.

Aside from job sharing, there are three other important factors to consider during the job redesign phrase for part-time work:

1. Permanent versus Temporary Part-time For some employees, the option to work part-time may be just a temporary measure to address their Work-life concerns at a certain period of time. For example, a working mum with a young child may opt for shorter working hours to care for her child. This arrangement can be carried out on a temporary basis (e.g. 1 or 2 years) until the child is older or it may simply become a permanent fixture for the employee.

2. Remuneration All parties, including full-times employees must view the pay as equitable. For a part-time staff, there is a need to adjust his/her expectations with regards to the total remuneration package when working shorter hours. First of all, the gross salary will be lower as compared to a full-time position as the total number of working hours is shorter. Some companies may pro-rate the benefits with the total number of hours/days worked, whereas in other cases, some employees may still get to enjoy the full staff benefits.

3. Supervisor’s Role New ground rules and approaches are necessary for companies who hire part-time workers. Conflict or misunderstanding may arise among employees if the full-time staffs are required to cover the part-timers’ duties when he/she is not around. Leadership should be vigilant about quickly addressing and resolving any issues that arise by communicating with all parties involved. Management must keep communication open, expectations clear and salary and duties fair and equitable. Practice cultures have to change to accommodate the demands of a growing part-time workforce. With guidelines in place and office efficiencies addressed, part-time efforts can bring full-time success.

Seeking Part-time Positions:

The F&B sector, home-based sales positions, insurance and property companies are just some of the more common industries where one can find a part-time position. To find part-time work in other industries, one may try focusing on smaller companies, including start-ups. There are many growing, small to medium-sized companies that are little more entrepreneurial and are often more flexible and more receptive to alternative work arrangements. Smaller companies expecting growth by next year may be happy to bring on someone part-time now, so that when business picks up they won't have to scramble to hire and train new employees. For those who wish to work in larger organizations, networking may be a key to secure such positions. Ask around your friends, business associates or ex-colleagues if such positions exist and try to “sell” yourself well. Lastly, business reports, employee handbooks and other sources of publications can provide hints whether a particular organization is receptive to flexible work arrangements. Such organizations are often termed as family-friendly companies that address the Work-life needs of their staffs by providing flexible work schedules (for more information, visit www.greatworksolutions.com



Flexi-Work Arrangements: Part-time Work - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia 's Website.

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