As part-time work becomes more widespread, it’s increasingly important that the roles are designed properly. But research published in the journal of Human Relations has indicated that, in many cases, there isn’t a process in place.
One in five professionals and managers in the UK works part-time already, with more than two in five working part-time in the Netherlands. Moreover, there is huge unfulfilled demand for part-time working: a Timewise study shows that a quarter of full-timers in the UK would actually prefer to work less, and earn less.
However when it comes to designing these part-time roles, the employees themselves are often left to get on with it, without input from their employers. Even those who are sympathetic to flexible working in principle rarely take any responsibility for reducing their employees’ outputs to match their reduction in hours.
This failure to think through the requirements of the job means that the part-time professional often ends up delivering 100% of the outputs in 60 or 80% of the hours – and for 60 or 80% of the salary. The result is usually high pressure of work for the part-timer, as well as insufficient time for development, networking or career-building.
And there’s a knock-on effect for other employees too. Seeing the lack of effort to address workload on transition to part-time hours can lead to others being reluctant to request part-time working. They see the stress and unfairness of part-timers having to deliver disproportionately heavy workloads, as well as the negative impacts on their career, and it puts them off following a similar path.
But there is another way: redesign the job collaboratively. Some of the part-time professionals featured in the research negotiated with colleagues, manager and clients to distribute workload more fairly across the team, and to arrange cover during their absence. This ‘crafting’ of the job, in collaboration with colleagues, enabled a more appropriate workload, and predictable time off for part-time professionals, although most only managed to craft their workload and schedule after they had secured a part-time job.
So, employers who want to attract and retain the best talent need to recognise that part-time job design often cannot be done by the individual alone. Job redesign is best done by the team as a whole, with committed support from the wider organisation. If that doesn’t happen, it’s not surprising that part-time professionals often feel stigmatised and see their careers stagnate.
Employers also need to address two common working practices which can stand in the way of successful part-time work. The first is the expectation that the individual, as opposed to the team, will be constantly available to deal with unpredictable client demands. The second is the failure to plan and share the team’s workload collaboratively, so that work is distributed fairly across the team.
It’s clear from the research that the way forward is for employers to redesign the working practices of the whole team, rather than leaving individuals to work out their part-time solutions in isolation. With mounting evidence that more people want to work part-time – not just parents and carers, but also older workers, millennials and those with health issues – employers need to address part-time job design, and adapt working practices to the changing shape of the workforce.
The research was conducted by Dr Charlotte Gascoigne as part of her PhD, and is published with Professor Clare Kelliher from the Cranfield School of Management. The findings were based on in-depth interviews with part-time professionals and managers in both the UK and the Netherlands.
To find out more about the innovative research opportunities we offer, contact info@timewise.co.uk or call 020 7633 4444
Published December 2017
By Emma Stewart, Co-Founder
Like many of the contributors to the Taylor Review, I shared my views on the day the report was published. The core of my response was that making permanent jobs more flexible – rather than just improving conditions for those who currently work flexibly – is critical to unlocking quality jobs for individuals for whom full time isn’t an option.
And whilst there’s broad agreement that this is a sensible approach which could help move the Taylor Review recommendations forward, there’s a much less widespread understanding of how flexible job design can be used in practice and what’s required to make it a success.
The theory behind job design sounds straightforward: it’s about looking at the current parameters of a role and designing it afresh to fulfil a specific need. In the case of Timewise, that need is to build in flexibility that delivers the right work-life balance for an employee, whether through part-time roles, job shares, variable start and finish times or other flexible options.
However, in too many cases, employers simply look at the hours or patterns that an individual is working, and focus all their attention on how they can continue to deliver as before, but in fewer hours or from a different location. In doing so, they’re setting the individual up to fail, and potentially creating resentment amongst other employees who end up having to pick up the slack.
In practice, then, so-called flexible jobs are often not designed flexibly but have flexibility thrust upon them, without proper thought and with limited success. Clearly, that’s not right – but what should employers do instead? While specific solutions will be different for each sector or organisation, there are some core areas that always need to be addressed within proper job design:
In our consultancy work, we explore these core areas and other related issues, using detailed research and analysis, to provide innovative solutions which fit with our clients’ needs and objectives. The outcome we are aiming for is what we call compatible flexibility; a way of working which is equally beneficial for employers and employees alike, and so delivers affordable, lasting change.
Our recent pilot scheme in the social care sector demonstrates this perfectly. Through close consultation with policy makers, social care providers and front-line carers, we were able to develop a mutually beneficial solution: a geographical, team-based approach to scheduling which reduced travel time, allowed carers to have input into their rotas and improved the overall quality of care.
And right now, we’re working with five national retailers to investigate how job design could help them deliver career progression to senior level for flexible workers; critical for a sector in which the majority of the workforce is part time. Among the routes we are exploring are training managers in how to define and describe jobs based on outputs not inputs, and tackling decision makers about nurturing a mindset in which flexibility is approached as an opportunity, not a threat.
In addition to specific projects such as these, we are also getting ready to take job design to the next level through the creation of the Timewise Innovation Unit. This specialist ‘think tank do tank’ will bring together and share the best thinking, innovative practice and learning on how to redesign work, in order to develop cross-cutting business-led solutions to reimagine the modern workplace. It will be run using a social consultancy model and developed in collaboration with a number of strategic partners; do get in touch if you’re interested in getting involved.
In the meantime, the Taylor Review has underlined the fact that flexible working is here to stay, one way or another. The challenge for employers is to ensure that the way it works in your organisation benefits your business and your employees alike – and clever, creative job design has to be part of that process.
To find out more about our consultancy and training services, call 020 7633 4444 or email info@timewise.co.uk
Published August 2017
