New podcast broadcasts honest conversations about modern day part-time working & offers help to others on the journey.
11 June, 2024, London: A new mini podcast launches today; the result of a creative collaboration between the social enterprise Timewise and longevity think tank Phoenix Insights.
Called Part-time Works, each episode revolves around an aspect of modern-day part-time working and features two guests in discussion about how they make their roles – and working patterns – ‘work’.
You can find Part-time Works in all your usual podcast places, plus on the Timewise.co.uk website: https://timewise.co.uk/podcast/
Featuring a detective, an entrepreneur, a nurse and more, Part-time Works includes guests from a range of job-types and sectors, all successfully working part-time for different reasons and all at different stages of their life. There is no presenter – the idea is to replicate the experience of ‘listening in’ to a good conversation, “because this is how we truly absorb great ideas” according to Timewise CEO Claire Campbell.
8.2 million people in the UK work part-time (fewer than 37.5 hrs/wk), accounting 1 in every 4 workers1. Research conducted with 4,000 UK workers by Timewise and Phoenix Insights last year suggested that perceptions around part-time workers are starting to change, with far more people now believing part-time workers to be AS AMBITIOUS as anybody else – with their numbers dwarfing those who disagree (50 per cent versus 23 per cent).
However, there remains a perception that part-time working is a barrier to progression2.
The aim of this initiative is to highlight the talent, skills and ambition of people who work part-time, and the importance of stimulating more good quality part-time working opportunities.
Part-time work is a key enabler that helps people return to, or stay in work, at times when they otherwise couldn’t. Whether due to starting families, caring responsibilities, managing long term health conditions or other curveballs life throws, the provision of good quality part-time work is vital to ensuring better working lives and people’s ability to secure their own financial futures.
In each episode, the guests identify what elements have made their jobs ‘work’ – giving tips for those listening.
The episodes cover:
Guests include:
And many more people.
The podcast is part of a wider campaign by Timewise and Phoenix Insights of the same name (‘Part-time Works’). It is supported by a diverse range of organisations who all recognise the need to make part-time working mainstream, including: Centre for Ageing Better, Carers UK, the CMI, the Fatherhood Institute, Daddilife, the Runnymede Trust, Women Returners and People Like Us who will share the podcast and its messages with their members and networks
As part of the wider campaign, free mini guides for employers that want to onboard and manage the careers of part-time workers better will be distributed to employers, also via member groups. Guides for individuals who want to improve the experience of working part-time have also been produced. Both are available here: https://timewise.co.uk/podcast/
Clare McNeil, Policy and Innovation Director at Timewise says:
“There used to be a ‘silent deal’ when it came to part-time work: trade in the quality of your job and hopes of progression, for a flexible, predictable schedule. Work has been through an exponential change in recent years, and our lives are longer and more complicated. That silent deal no longer stands. Between managing work and study, starting families, providing elder care and managing our own health, far more people are searching for good quality part-time work.”
“Our experience shows that everyday conversations in the workplace are the secret to achieving good experiences of part-time working, but too often people don’t know where to start.”
“Timewise and Phoenix Insight’s Part-Time Works podcast has been designed to capture good part-time working in action: and make it mainstream.”
Catherine Sermon, Head of Public Engagement and Campaigns at Phoenix Insights says:
“Being able to work part-time is an absolute game-changer for so many people’s working lives and their ability to earn a living and to save for their future. Research regularly highlights that good quality part-time work is the key enabler that would attract and enable over 50s who have left the workforce to return should they want or need to. It also helps people who need to combine work with caring responsibilities, or manage a health-condition or want to study or set up their own business.”
“The numbers of people working part-time in the UK however has stagnated, and we know it can sometimes seem hard to make it work in practice. Through this podcast we have heard frank and remarkable stories of how people have overcome both personal and work-related challenges to make working part-time work for them and their employers. We hope these stories are a source of inspiration to anyone who is working or wanting to work part-time, or who is responsible for managing people at work.”
For more information, interviews or case studies please contact Jo Burkill
jo.burkill@timewise.co.uk / 07960 472097
About Timewise
Dedicated to creating stronger, healthier, and more inclusive workplaces powered by flexible working and better wellbeing, we are a unique social enterprise that brings together award-winning HR experts, researchers and psychologists to collaborate with employers, policymakers, and influencers. www.timewise.co.uk
About Phoenix Insights
Phoenix Insights is a think tank set up by Phoenix Group to transform the way society responds to the possibilities of longer lives.
We use research to lead fresh debate and inspire the action needed to make better longer lives a reality for all of us. The core of our work is focused on financial security, work, and learning and skills. Reimagining longer lives means making changes in all these areas. At the heart of all our work, we are committed to reducing inequalities and building a society that enables all of us, not just the fortunate few, to live better longer lives.
