If I'm a manager, I'd actually look at what they've delivered in the past. And I would make a judgment on is this person somebody I really want to keep? Because if I deny part-time work, I probably might not keep them. So I would say, are there discrete tasks and are there ways to hive off some of this role so that it can be done either five mornings a week or three full days a week? She also advises anybody who's going to do this to negotiate with their partner because you are still working.
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.