Full-Time Rewards from Part-Time Work

By Tracy Mayor

New moms who want to -- or must -- maintain their careers have long turned to part-time positions as the best way to keep working while still spending as much time as possible with their babies. But often there is a nagging sense of compromise, the feeling that part-time work is merely a placeholder or a temporary tradeoff, not a valid long-term career choice. Not so! insist career experts and veteran part-timers. Done right, they say, part-time work can serve a dual purpose: nurture a young mother's family life while simultaneously enriching and forwarding her career.

Indeed, twenty-six percent of the total 64.7 million women employed in 2004 worked part time, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and other government figures show mothers account for 39 percent of all part-time women workers. Sociologists say those working moms gain not just a paycheck, but self-esteem as well. Part-time work allows mothers to keep their minds stimulated and their professional contacts fresh even as they're bonding with their babies and adjusting to life with little ones at home.

As more and more employers realize every day (tell them if you need to!), mothers who toil part time make excellent workers. They're typically dedicated, organized team players who are highly motivated to make their situation successful, says Beverly Kaye, a career counselor and co-author of Love It, Don't Leave It: 26 Ways To Get What You Want at Work (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). Working moms are more willing to take work home and less likely to jump ship for a better job than their full-time counterparts, Kaye points out --all pluses in the employer's eye. If you are interviewing for a new position make these points clear to a potential employer.

For their part, back-to-work moms are discovering that part-time work can be an excellent chance to get ahead, not just get by, in their careers. Employers are often so pleased by the productivity of a three-day a week working mother that when new higher-paying positions become available they are likely to offer it to the mom -- and even entertain flexible job-share situations for more senior jobs.

Because part-time positions require less of a financial commitment from the company, hiring managers are often willing to try out new ideas first with a part-time worker. So if you hear groundbreaking new proposals being discussed, offer to take the first stab at putting the idea into play. Use opportunities such as that to break out of your professional mold, urges Kaye. "A part-time position frees you up a little bit to try something new or different. Ask to work in another area of the company, or ask for a specific project to manage," she advises. "If you can, make casual offers such as, 'Hey, I could work on that at home.'"

If and when it comes time to go back to work full-time, don't make excuses for your part-time stint, Kaye says. Instead, take the time to enunciate how part-time has added to your skill set. Are you better at delegating? Prioritizing? Time-management? Collaboration? If so, say so, and say it proudly.

Tracy Mayor writes frequently on parenting and cultural topics. She lives north of Boston with her husband and two sons.