If someone wants to go part time, usually they tell you why. But I don't think that that should be a requirement. You have to figure out what boundaries you need around your work life and try to set those boundaries some other way. And then there's something else to be done, which is to make sure they're paid for their full time work.
There are a lot of reasons working part time might make sense: among them, you have more hours in the week to take care of kids or parents, take on freelance work, go back to school. But working part time can stall career advancement, and oftentimes women end up doing a full-time job for half the pay while taking on more responsibilities at home.
We speak with Linda Duxbury about the problems she’s seen some professional women run into when they work part time. She suggests factors to consider before reducing your hours and conversations that can smooth the transition. We also talk to an incredibly organized consultant and mother of three whose part-time schedule hasn’t kept her from getting promoted.
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Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.