career advice

Flexible Working

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Good employers are increasingly looking upon their relationship with staff as a partnership, anything that helps bosses recruit and keep hold of talented professionals is good for their business and flexibility of working hours can help to achieve this.

Consequently, companies are giving their human resource departments the tools with which to create supportive work/life balance policies for their staff.

 

These include:

  • lifestyle management
  • home working
  • career breaks
  • better maternity leave
  • help with childcare

 

A suitable work/life balance is now high on jobseekers' wish lists and it's worth looking at companies' websites to research what they offer.

 

The Internet also offers a wealth of information on new ways of working.


Check out these sites for details:

  • The Department of Trade and Industry's work/life balance site www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk is a Government-approved site and is also backed by a raft of major companies.
  • New Ways to Work is a group aimed at allowing workers freedom alongside their work. The site contains advice, publications and details of events.
  • Flametree is a consultancy offering information and advice on balancing all aspects of your life, including juggling work with your busy personal life.
  • The Work Life Balance Centre aims to raise awareness and promote discussion of work/life balance issues, conduct research into working practices ands produce practical interventions to encourage better work/life balance.

 

Part Time Working

 

The number of part-time workers is growing. Reasons for wanting to escape the nine-to-five routine vary, from childcare commitments, needing extra time to study or starting a business to simply wanting more leisure time.

 

Part-time rights

 

Part-time workers have the same rights as full-timers in the following areas:

  • Rates of pay (pro-rata).
  • Access to pension schemes and benefits.
  • Access to training and career development.
  • Holiday entitlement.
  • Entitlement to career break schemes, sick pay, maternity and paternal pay. Check out your rights.
  • Treatment in the selection criteria for promotion and transfer.
  • Redundancy rights.

 

This is to ensure that employers end unjustifiable discrimination against workers looking to work part-time, and also to encourage skilled people back to the workplace after taking career breaks and childcare breaks.

In addition, in tougher economic periods, firms offer workers flexible work patterns with shorter hours, which prevents redundancies and puts businesses in a strong position to compete when the upturn comes.

 

How is part-time working defined?

 

A part-timer is defined as a worker who works less than the normal hours for their role, for a particular employer. This means each companies policy is different.

 

Finding part-time work

 

To be a successful part-timer, you need good up-to-date skills. But be warned - adverts for appropriate or well paid part-time jobs can be hard to find. It is also worth contacting recruitment agencies, as most now deal with some part-time positions.

 

Pros:

  • Escape the nine-to-five routine and establish a good work/life balance.
  • Legislation bans employers from discriminating against part-timers.
  • Almost any job can be adapted to part-time working (or job-share).

 

Cons:

  • Fewer job adverts for quality, well paid part-time positions.
  • A misconception that flexible working can't work for managers.
  • No law to require bosses to let people go part-time.

 

Can you be a part-time manager?

 

Traditionally, senior management positions have not been considered suitable for part-time work. However, research by flexible working company The Resource Connection and the Industrial Society revealed flexible working among senior managers, including part-timers and job sharers, can significantly improve performance at work, with 70% of their sample rated by their bosses as outperforming full-time colleagues. They also scored higher on resilience, leadership and commitment. This is the type of information that is fantastic if you need to argue your case for your position going part-time.

 

Further information:

 

New Ways to Work is a UK organisation, which advises on flexible working arrangements. The helpline (020 7503 3578) is available 10am-4pm Tuesday to Thursday.