Asking for a part-time role is like putting on Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. It can feel as if you cease to play a serious part in an organisation. In reality, you’re just there to do a specific, hours-limited job.
We’ve got a bit of a beef about the image of part-time working. Our colleagues over at TimeWise are doing a great job and working with large companies to find well-paid and skilled, part-time roles. However, we still feel that some obvious points are being overlooked…
Retention & Recruitment – offering part-time roles to former full-time employees is a great way to retain staff you have invested in. It’s also very attractive to future employees
Skills – put in simple terms you will be able to access a highly skilled person without stumping up for the full time salary. This experience doesn’t live in a hermetically sealed bubble but can be shared across the organisation so all can benefit
Performance – there are so many measures of performance at work but in the context of part-time work your employees will be happy and happiness helps drive performance and engagement
Flexibility – having part-time employees allows you to be more responsive to sudden changes such as a pitch or new business win
Talent – for many, a part-time role is not forever. By supporting a mother when she needs to work part-time you increase your future talent pool. She will feel vested in the organisation, connected and up-to-date and an addition to your talent pool of the future.
The key to part-time working is to make sure the employee is using their skills, still visible and being heard and that performance can be measured fairly.
