How do I convince my employer to let me go from full-time to part-time?

July 9, 2015 11:08 AM

I plan on leaving my current job to pursue making art for a living before summer is out. This means my wonderful, supportive wife and I will be dependent on her salary alone until I can get all that sweet, sweet art lucre flowing. This will be a sustainable situation, but won't necessarily be an ideal one. I'd like to attempt to ask to go from full-time salaried to part-time salaried, for some added financial peace of mind. I am not sure how to best approach my manager about this.

I've worked at this job for five years and I'm a good employee, by the organisation's standards. My workload is generally light and would actually be bearable as a part-time employee, to my mind. That said, I'm not sure how to communicate that without making it look like I've been spending a lot of my time here slacking off (and to be fair, there's been some of that on my part). My manager is fairly new and has big ideas to expand our tiny department, and while this means things will pick up for my co-workers, who have different roles, I don't think it will affect my position nearly as much as he thinks it will. In fact, the first new position he wants to hire is one that would take more work off my plate, further lightening my load. I'm not sure he'll really see that, though, as he's assuming there will be a massive surge in the departmental workload across the board, when he starts making his changes. There's precedent in the organisation -a slow-paced but successful non-profit- for allowing people to switch from full to part-time, but I can't say if my manager, who comes from a faster-paced corporate background, would see it as worthwhile to keep me on in that capacity. I get along with him fairly well, even if we haven't had a ton of time to really get to know each other. I believe he sees me as reasonable, straightforward and competent.

I'm not sure how and when to approach my manager about this. I'd like to get at least one more month of pay out of this job, so I don't know if approaching him early would ruin that if he flat out refused the part-time proposal. And I don't want it to sound like an ultimatum when I bring it up, even if the options are actually 'let me go part-time or I'm giving notice'. I'm not too worried about him letting me go on the spot, in a fit of pique, but I don't want to be cavalier about it either. How do I do this gracefully?

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Set up a meeting.

For important things like this, I like starting by bringing up what you want, NOT asking for an answer yet, asking if your manager will look into what options you might have to achieve what you want.

Be prepared with an email or memo or whatever, detailing what you're interested in, and why you think that it would be good for both you and them.

And practive saying, "I don't need an answer right now. I've got an email with some more information and thoughts written down about this that you could read when you get some more time. Can we check back in about this in a week or so?"

Don't forget to mention a few times that you want to keep working there.
posted by entropone at 11:21 AM on July 9, 2015

I think you should list the things you would continue to accomplish during a part-time schedule, and then list what you wouldn't be able to accomplish, and the things you cannot accomplish should include the stuff they are already planning to put onto a new position, plus any optional/lower-priority stuff other stuff you do to fill your time. I would do it with a decent amount of notice - unless your boss is a horrible jerk, he's not going to just fire you straight off, but it will be good for him to know if you're not looking for a growth position.

I'll also tell you that as a manager, I nearly always refuse this request unless it is short term, meets other needs I have, or possibly responds to other specific changing circumstances. Managing a part-time person is more work than managing a full-time person (because you have to adjust all meetings and trainings to their schedule and specially manage any resourcing or productivity reports) all while getting half the productivity. If I want a part time person, I ask for a part time position from the get go and I only do that when I am looking for specialized skills, or if resources are particularly tight.
posted by vunder at 11:23 AM on July 9, 2015

i work remotely. i sent them an email. if you want, i can send you a copy (email me at [e-mail]).

the email was firm but polite (as i guess you would expect). it went surprisingly well.
posted by andrewcooke at 11:50 AM on July 9, 2015

actually, i just went back and checked. and i talked to 2 out of three of the people i needed permission from beforehand (over the phone). the two conversations were different, because the relationships were different, but in both cases i presented it as something that was certainly happening, and then took the conversation along the lines of "but how can i make this work best for you?" - which was basically negotiating on the details of when and how i worked (we went with alternate weeks, which was a compromise between "per project" - long times off between projects - and "whenever we want").

another comment here says they would refuse such a request. but an important employee walking out is a lot of hassle for a company. much more than the hassle of working part time (it's not just a question of hours, but of knowledge that has built up over time - if you leave, they lose that). so you do have the advantage. of course, it's possible they will then start looking for a replacement anyway, but that still gives you time to make it work and/or start earning.
posted by andrewcooke at 12:13 PM on July 9, 2015

Perhaps if you suggested a trial period, maybe a month or so, that would seem like an easier approach for your manager.
posted by amtho at 12:46 PM on July 9, 2015

Just to give a different perspective, I found in the past when I once had part-time hours (and attempted to work on a project of my own the rest of the time) that a part-time job was just as distracting/tiring as a full-time job. Your job may be different, but I just wanted to mention that as a possibility. If you have the chance to dive full-time into art, I would go for it.

If you suggest going part-time, you could do it in two weeks. That way, even if they say no, you can finish out the month. I think the best way would be to write up a new job description and present it, emphasizing that the new hire will be able to cover some of the things you've been doing, and inflating the rest so it sounds like you've had a fuller plate than you actually have.
posted by three_red_balloons at 3:35 PM on July 9, 2015

Have you been making and selling your art while you've been working full-time?

If yes, you can stop reading the rest of this response.

But if no: I'd suggest that moving to part-time work is premature, and that you begin by working on your art in evenings / on weekends while you continue to hold down your full-time job, just to get an idea about the viability of your "art biz".
posted by doctor tough love at 4:12 PM on July 9, 2015 [3 favorites]

At the NFP where I work, one of our staff just transitioned from full time to part time. She very thoroughly mapped out how she would make it work - the hours allocated to X and Y, how she would reschedule things to fit into her working hours, who else would be involved if problems arose outside of her scheduled hours, etc. Basically, she had to make the case that nothing would fall through the cracks, everything would be done the way it needed to be done, and that the shift wouldn't impact on anyone else in any significant way. The ED was a bit grumpy about it, but her plan was solid.

The only thing that you should be aware of - though it's likely not your problem - is funding. Most EDs of NFPs are (rightfully) really concerned about keeping the funding in place. How is your position funded? Is funding reliant on there being a full time employee? If it is, will you switching to PT change the funding somehow? And, if it decreases funding, will that impact in any bigger ways? (on other staff, on the ability to obtain future funding if the position goes back to full time in the future, etc.)

Beyond that, if there's no hard deadline to move to PT, I'd wait out the next month (or whatever amount of time you decide you need) before starting the discussion. Use the next month to really map out how you'll make this work - and, to combat vunder's management concerns make it clear when you'll work and how. If you know Monday mornings are always staff meeting, you need to include that as part of your hours. If you know your boss is always in the office on Thursdays, and likely to have sit-down meetings then, aim for that. If your company has once-a-month trainings that are mandatory, make it clear that you're willing to adjust your own schedule to accommodate that, even if it falls on a date/time that you're not normally intending to work (and that you'll flex your hours, instead) rather than requiring them to find a time that fits you.

The easiest way to get someone to approve your plan is to make it as easy for them as possible.
posted by VioletU at 10:09 AM on July 11, 2015 [1 favorite]