TAPP Blog

We asked working mother, Ariane to tell us about the arrangement she has made with her company to work part-time and how it has impacted her life.

Aahh! Just picture it: the air shimmers through the heat rising off the hoods of a seemingly
infinite line of cars and trucks crawling along a crumbling expressway like a giant, exhausted inchworm. The steamy interior of a city bus on a rainy day – elbows, backpacks, and umbrellas jabbing you as your arm falls asleep while you hold on for dear life to a virus-ridden bar over your head. Squeezing your way onto a train car, the scent of body odor and who knows what else in your nostrils, while you futilely attempt to avoid being touched by too many strangers.

I've been hearing so much lately about how, in other countries, the culture around work hours and time off is quite different from what we are used to in the US. I was curious, so I did a little research. What I found out got me to wondering about how deep into our lifestyles these differences reach.

One of my co-workers happened upon an interesting blog post that discusses a "part-time revolution" in the UK, where 5.1 million people work part-time by choice. Apparently, part-timers in the UK are protected by legislation that states they should be treated no less favorably than full-time equivalent colleagues. Read more.

As the writers on this blog have acknowledged, our reasons for working part-time are numerous. Many part-time employees are parents who wish to have more time to devote to their families. Others work part-time because they want the flexibility to pursue other interests. And many work part-time simply because they’ve yet to find ideal full-time employment.

For much of my working life, I have been a part-time employee, a practice that I continue to this day (though I am no longer employed by anyone but myself!). And at one time or another, every one of the above reasons for working part-time has been true for me.

In some office cultures you find co-workers participating in group social activities, like fantasy sports leagues, book clubs, and health & fitness programs. Some of these activities are sanctioned by employers and some are arranged by individuals.

I recently read a discussion about an employee's start time in an office and the fact that she was often late and subsequently docked for this. There was the argument that if the person is getting his or her work done, does it matter what time the person arrives at work. As offices change to a results oriented work environment and flex time, it appears that a set start time in some offices could be a thing of the past. So does that mean that employees aren't accountable for when they arrive in the office?  I’d like to argue that it’s more important than ever for individuals to be accountable for when they arrive at work and be on time. Do I mean that everyone should punch a time clock? No. There are industries where a time clock is important –such as nursing, retail, etc. In others, the specific start time might not be as important.

Prior to cell phones, call forwarding, email on pdas, being in the office was critical to being able to respond to customers. Now, we can and do work from anywhere. (I am writing this blog while sitting on a plane). But just because we can answer a phone from anywhere, doesn’t mean that we should do so. I am not very efficient if I answer a business phone call from a coffee shop while waiting to order coffee. I can’t tell the caller if they are registered for a meeting, and it is inconvenient to provide information on upcoming events or edit a newsletter while on the go. Our office has the set business hours of 9 am  to 5 pm. We have told our clients that we will answer our phones during that time period. I have chosen that our phones are answered by an individual rather than an automated system. I feel that it is a more efficient system than voice mail and provides much better customer service. So for our company, having a staff member set up to work when we open at 9 am (99% of the time in the office), is important to our being able to service our customers.

They will be your next _____________.  Fill in the blank with boss, friend, customer, co-worker, donor, or in my case president. This was a statement that my dad said often. It was a gentle reminder that for us in the association management industry, we don’t know who will join our association next and ultimately become the president of the organization.  There seems to be an association for EVERYTHING from lawyers to electrologists to roller skating. So I truly don’t know with whom we might work in the future. Or what that future member/president is doing now.

One time I was handling registration and one of the volunteers was standing behind the desk with me. An attendee who was a fundraiser was rude to us about something. I don’t recall what any longer. What I do remember is that the volunteer’s father in law was a major donor to that fundraiser’s non profit. And yes the father in law did learn of that incident.

One only needs to walk in my front door or glance into my car to know that I am not an organized person.  I love everything to be clean and in its place and though it’s how my mother raised us to be, I am just not capable of it.  My sister inherited the neat gene leaving me surrounded by dust and clutter.  I take offense at well meaning people and magazine articles that tell me I should just do this or that and everything would be so simple and so much better.  Just take 5 minutes a day to run a cloth over the furniture or convert empty shoeboxes into the most adorable toy holders.  If I had 5 extra minutes a day I would put it to better use – like showering, or cutting my children’s nails instead of letting them grind down naturally like rodents.  So, I’d like to take five minutes to tell you what I do to get by and stay sane with 3 small children and two jobs.  And it has nothing to do with shoeboxes.

You recently published your first children’s book. That’s exciting! What is the story about and what was your inspiration?

I made the decision mid-last year to take a 6.5 month leave of absence from my full-time job at Massachusetts General Hospital to give myself time to travel the world and work only at a part-time pace. While I have had a part-time job consistently for the past six years, I worked solely part-time for about six months straight (while I was in the country, in between jaunts to Europe) while on leave from Mass General.

It is said that there are only two sure things in life- death and taxes. While not certain, it is a safe bet that you will be a caregiver of a loved one someday too. According to a recent report by the AARP Public Policy Institute, approximately, one in four U.S. adults currently care for an elderly relative or spouse with chronic conditions. My experience comes from caring for my late father (along with my sister). Not long into the journey, I was laid off. I was fortunate that I didn't have the worry of juggling a work schedule along with being a caregiver.  Looking back, I'm curious how I would have continued to handle the very real juggle if I were working at the job I was laid off from. How do people handle the daily emotional stresses that come along with the privilege of caring for a loved one, (though it doesn't always feel like a privilege) in addition to the responsibilities of a job? If I had the answer to this question I would be shouting it from the roof tops.

I do know two things you'll need as a caregiver: flexibility and compassion. Just as you'll need flexibility in handling crisis situations that may arise while care giving, it is absolutely essential at work. What that flexibility means is up to you. Whether it is working part-time, working off hours or from home- that flexibility can be the safety net for your sanity. The second thing you will need is compassion. I know you'll have it for your loved one, I hope you'll have it from your friends, but whatever you do - don't forget about compassion for yourself! Forgive yourself for feeling frustrated after a long or difficult day.  Honor yourself and your hard work by doing something nice for yourself, after all - care giving is tough work.

So today’s Groundhog Day and conveniently enough, I had some thoughts about Groundhog Day the movie. For those who haven’t seen the movie, it’s a film starring Bill Murray and he has to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right. Sometimes my days seem like Groundhog Day; unfortunately I’m not sure when I’ll get it just right. The days seem to run into each other and I have no idea which day it is because I’ve done the same thing for the last four. I get home; we have to do homework, have to make dinner and then have to get everything ready for the following day so we can do the same thing all over again.

Flex time and work life balance are buzz words these days but what do they really mean? And how does part-time work fit into this mix? These days when I hear part-time on the news these days it is usually in connection with the unemployment rate and those who are underemployed… creating a negative connotation. Yet, there are many who choose to work part-time in order to take care of children or parents, go to school, ease into retirement, etc.  So yes, these individuals are seeking a work life balance but not in the way which may be considered typical.

I define a part-time employee as someone who works less than 30 hours per week or is working on a project basis for a company (e.g. edits documents as needed). A part-time employee is NOT always temporary and may not be hourly or junior level. It is possible to work on a part-time basis in most industries with some planning. I have seen jobs posted for part-time lawyers, doctors, marketing professionals, development directors, account analysts, accountants, etc.

So I recently watched the movie “Multiplicity” starring Michael Keaton It’s not a 5 star movie, and it hasn’t earned any Oscars but very amusing and entertaining. The premise of the movie is that a man clones himself in order to have more personal time. So he sends his clone to work while he plays golf. His wife ends up needing help at home so he clones himself again to have the third clone at home while he again goes out to play golf. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

I run a small business. I’m a new owner but have managed the day to day affairs of The Guild Associates (GA) for many years (with some guidance). Work life balance is a concept that is used frequently throughout the TAPP website and constantly appears in the media. Work life balance can take many forms: working from home; a varied work schedule, how time off is administered, etc.

As I listened to the TAPP webinar this Tuesday, I was really surprised to learn that Lynn Berger, the speaker – career coach and author of The Savvy Part-time Professional: How to Land, Create, or Negotiate the Part-time Job of your Dreams – was able to describe a proven plan of action to take with your employer when you are trying to transition to part-time.

Let’s take a look at 3 different moms and see who is the best off.  Jennifer works full time. She works all day, has to pay someone to pick her kids up from school, comes home to an ever growing pile of laundry and dirty dishes. I can guarantee that when she walks in the door after a long day she has the kids running up to her with questions, demands and complaints from their day and she has to feed them, make sure their homework is done and get them to bed and by the time she has a moment to herself, is too tired to tackle those piles. Her children ask her “can you come to this school function, like some of the real moms?” and from other adults “when do you get to spend time with your kids?”

Leslie works part-time outside the home. She drops her kid off at school, goes to work and leaves work in time to pick them up from school everyday, only to get questions, demands and complaints from that child about their day. She also has a pile of laundry and dirty dishes, but at least she can tackle some of it while the child does their homework or eats their after school snack. Her children ask her “why don’t you volunteer in the classroom, like some of the other moms?” and from other adults “does the money you make working part-time justify you actually going to work?”

The Law of Attraction is a principle that has been bandied about for a few years now and is the core philosophy behind such books as "The Secret" and "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield. It is also now being incorporated into finding your soul mate through online programs such as Calling In the One. So what does it mean and should you care?

I'm happy with free coffee, ergonomic chairs and the occasional office party, but the times they are a'changin'.