Career Options

Employers reaping rewards of 'part-time' professionals

Companies committed to meeting the needs of professionals who are willing to forgo part of their salary in return for reduced hours are reaping the rewards in increased productivity, talent retention and improved employee relations, a new study finds.

LINDA WHITE
[ 2006-02-15 ]

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Mary Dean Lee. McGill professor and researcher.

"It's good news. It's provocative news in a way," says Mary Dean Lee, management professor at McGill University in Montreal. She completed her research with labour relations professor Ellen Ernst Kossek of Michigan State University.

While "reduced-load work" has been particularly popular among new moms returning to work, many others are taking advantage of opportunities to work fewer hours -- including those caring for aging parents and others wanting to further their education or pursue personal interests.

"It's important that (reduced-load work) doesn't get attached just to women returning to work from (maternity) leave," Lee says. "We don't want there to be a 'ghetto' for people who work part time at a professional level."

Reduced-load work is a trend that began in the 1990s. It's defined as working less than full-time hours in a traditional full-time position for a commensurate reduction in pay. It appears to be gaining acceptance among a growing number of professionals.


In recent years, more employers have established flexible work arrangements and informal practices to support talented individuals who want to work in different ways to accommodate shifting priorities in their personal and professional lives, Lee has concluded.

Her findings can be found in the report, Making Flexibility Work: What Managers Have Learned About Implementing Reduced-Load Work. It's the second part of a study that involved interviews with 88 managers and executives in 20 Canadian and American companies representing six different business sectors.

Although half of participating firms experienced downsizing and layoffs over the study's six-year period, reduced-load work arrangements increased in 60% of firms and gained greater acceptance in 70% of firms.

"It's not just change in policies that have made (reduced-load work) possible, but a real culture change," Lee says. "It's a new way of working. It's what we really need to be working toward ... We assume that anyone with serious career aspirations must work full time."

NOT A CAREER PLATEAU


But choosing to work reduced hours doesn't have to mean an employee has hit a career plateau. "It's not a signal anymore that you're not serious about your career," Lee says.

"They may move a little slower and (reduced load) may not be acceptable for all positions, but there are people who work full time who turn those positions down."

So why are employers supporting reduced-load work? Simply put, they don't want to lose the cream of the crop. Employers have found employees working reduced load are often more productive than their full-time counterparts because they're more focused on the task at hand.

Employers have reported other benefits as well, including creating efficiencies. How's that possible? Because it forced them to examine an employee's responsibilities and if their tasks really needed to be done or could be done differently.

Attracting top talent is another reason employers are supporting reduced-load work. It sets them apart from other employers and makes them more attractive to potential talent, Lee explains.

For some employers, reduced-load work has even enhanced co-worker relationships and communication because people were more likely to share their needs and co-ordinate work with one another.

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LIGHTEN THE LOAD


Willing to incorporate "reduced-load work" into your workplace? According to researcher Mary Dean Lee, managers must be empathetic and actively involved if such arrangements are going to work. Other tips:

- Scope reduced-load jobs right. Find creative ways to eliminate pieces of an employee's job or to combine tasks in the case of job sharing.

- Help individuals set boundaries and protect them from stress and "job creep." People working reduced load are often reluctant to bring up load issues with their manager for fear of losing the arrangement.

- Respect an employee's work load reduction while meeting goals without taking up the slack or acting as a buffer.

- Pay attention to the developmental needs of reduced-load employees to ensure they're properly challenged and utilized, even while they work in a different way.



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