Negotiating for part time, did it work for you?

Telebell · May 2015

Hey ladies,
I'd like to do part time after #2 is born, but it has literally never been done before in my organization. I did already talk to my boss and said I'd been planning to give notice but really wanted to stay in a part time capacity because I love the job. She's thinking about it (and needs to consult with more people).

If you've successfully asked for part time, when/how did you do it. Any advice?

Thanks!

laceyjaep · May 2015

I think it's awesome that you asked for what you want! I am in the same boat. I started my job last June so I've been here almost 1 year. I work in a small doctors office and they have been incredibly flexible and supportive of me so far. However, I am still VERY nervous to ask about going part time so I completely understand your nerves if this has never been done with your company before. I am nervous because they needed someone in a full time position which is why they hired me. I am now debating about whether I ask before or during maternity leave. Good luck! I hope everything works out for you.

taralohse · May 2015

I am in a similar situation. I love my job so I do want to continue to work on a part time basis. My proposal to my bosses was 3 full days a week (Tues-Thurs) and occasional work at home when time permits. While nothing has been finalized yet, they have expressed their desire to keep me and are willing to arrange a schedule that works best for me. This is something that has not been done by anyone else that I work with so I am very fortunate that they are being so flexible.

My advice would be to show your dedication to your job before baby arrives, as difficult as that may be at times! It will make them more eager to accommodate your request! Good Luck!!!

edavis926 · May 2015

My current position is full time only. However if it was up to my office they would have no problem adding a part time position because we are all just drowning. Unfortunately all of our HR decisions are made in the DC office 1600 miles away and everytime we try to get more help we just get shut down.

jenspeake · May 2015

I negotiated and they negotiated back. I had asked if I could...work my job from home full-time or work part-time office and part-time from home. They said that I could work part-time at office but I would have to relinquish my management position during that time. And they would only allow that for three more months beyond my 6-8 week leave. My work is very flexible and love that. But I had to turn down the part-time offer as I didn't want to give up my position. They also couldn't allow me to just work from home as that wouldn't be fair to everyone else. I hope it goes well for you!

rparr1984 · May 2015

I'm work in a salaried position and my job requires me to bill my time to my clients. I'm supposed to meet a certain billable hour goal every year, and just because I'm in my office or at work doesn't necessarily mean that I'm able to bill that time. I'm also working toward becoming a partner. All of that makes my job a little weird. For my position, my employer has every woman develop her own maternity leave plan and present it to our managing committee, including what you want to do when you come back to the office. Part-time is certainly an option, but when we come in and request part time, we have to say how we think the part time status should effect our salary and our partnership track, and then management has to approve it. Because there are a lot of things to negotiate, they like us to present our plans a couple of months before our due dates, but we can also set up a schedule to reevaluate what we've decided on to make sure it is fair to everyone.

I haven't developed my plan yet, but I anticipate I'll be asking to come back to work 3-4 days a week working somewhat reduced billable hours with full pay based on my prior five years of billing more than my yearly goal. I'll need to think more about the specifics and get my negotiating points figured out before I make my presentation, but I know my employer is very flexible and has approved similar plans in the past.

Personally, I think the best time to negotiate a part time position is before you've had the baby and when you've just done great work for your employer, reminding them of your value as an employee. Develop a plan and why you think it would be good for both you and your employer (like, by letting you work part time for the first year of your baby's life and then come back full time, your employer is keeping an awesome employee and also avoiding the hassle and expense of training a new employee to take over for you).

CocoR04 · May 2015

I negotiated a part time job share before I had my son. Another new mom and I approached our boss in August of that year - in a very large organization with tons of red tape - and were finally approved in January of the next year and a week before my due date.

Ask now, be up front about what you want out of the situation and think about your schedule. Don't choose to work every other day like I did! It was so tough on my newborn and me. Choose to work 1/2 days everyday or three consecutive full days a week (or whatever). It helps with keeping you and baby on a schedule.

Telebell · May 2015

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful! @rparr1984 , your firm's policy that everyone present a proposal sounds really good. I might pitch that to my boss when all this is resolved. Thanks again!

heytallmama · May 2015

There is no maternity plan at my mid-size non profit, so I met with my supervisor, COO, and exec director to request 12 weeks off and returning with 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home. I basically put the request in a really formal document, indicating examples of how it would work and why I was requesting what I was. As of now, I've been granted me 12 weeks (yay!!), and they are still considering the 2 days work from home. Unfortunately, those 2 days are a deal breaker for me since my salary is so low, it'd be cheaper for me to quit and be a SAHM than to pay for 5 days of childcare. My supervisor knows this and supports the 2 days, but our COO had never liked people working from home (though he does it!). Plus- my job is totally able to be done from home so..fingers crossed! I assume they will agree with the caveat that I have a limit on the duration of that arrangement, which I'll take/negotiate.

Long story short- go into your request early, with a thoughtful and formal written plan that they can present to HR, the board, whomever to get approved. It can take a while to negotiate and get your answer but know your bottom line of deal breakers and what you can stand to give up during the negotiation.

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