STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

subwolley · Kate Spade

From full-time to part-time?

kenzie · Chanel

Ooh, I'd be curious about this, too. That would be ideal for me because I'd like to slowly build up to freelancing full-time until I open my business after grad school. Good question! I hope you get some good advice (I do not have any at the moment).

relrel · Marc Jacobs

I've done it. When I started the new job in October, I dropped down to part-time status at the old job. I could do the old job from home and I wanted the extra money.

The job I was doing was perfectly suited for a part-time position, both in terms of hours needed to complete tasks and the actual work. My boss didn't have the money to replace me so she was overjoyed to keep me on. All I really did was say "hey, I've got a new job and I start in two weeks. But I'll stay on the payroll and keep doing my old duties from home".

So, yeah, I don't think that helps very much! However, some basic ideas apply:

1. Can you do your job from home for the most part and only come in to the new job as necessary?
2. Can the actual job duties be done in less time or would they still need to replace you?

I shouldn't think it would be a problem unless the freelance business would somehow step on their toes, competitively. As long as you can prove that you can do your duties in less time, it's really to their benefit to have you drop to part-time. Be careful about your insurance and other benefits including vacation/sick time. There's some weird rules about what happens when you drop in status. I would check with human resources to see what would happen. Like, perhaps you want to keep your health insurance but they will probably end up charging you double for it.

kenzie · Chanel

Thanks, relrel (not trying to thread hijack from subwolley or anything, but these are questions I had, too). My company does not allow people to work from home, but they did allow another person in my department to drop down to three days one week/two days the next for several months while he built up his freelance clientele. It was easier than replacing him (they still haven't replaced him- they just dumped his work on someone else). So, obviously, it can be done here. Maybe I'll contact him and see how he approached it...

subwolley · Kate Spade

Thanks Relrel. I am aware of my benefits. My bf and I figured out that I need to stay with the state in order to keep my benefits, more importantly my retirement plan. As long as I work 30hrs a week with any state job, I keep my benefits, and they also roll over to whatever job I take.

I feel that I could do my current job at home and in less time. I don't know if they would go for it, but I think I could do it. I'm wondering if I need to wait until I find another part-time job and say to them what you said: "I found another job, BUT I would be willing to stay if I could go part-time." Or should I just come out and say "My dream is to start my own business and I need to go part-time. Can we work something out?"

-----

Right now, the job market is stupid slow. I've been going back in forth in my mind whether to leave my current job or find another. I even applied to one job, went to the interview and then withdrew my application. Now I think I'm regretting that, but maybe it wasn't meant to be anyway. Whenever I see myself in the future, I see myself the happiest working from home and having more job freedom, do what I love to do. So why would I apply for another full-time job when I can just start working on my freelance more.

It just sucks because I am really stressed out at my job right now. I've expressed this to my boss, and she doesn't seem to care, or care to really stand up for me to do anything about it. I withdrew my application from another job, because I thought I could change my attitude about my current job and make it work, but that didn't last long. So I got to get out....like now.

Anyway, this turned into a vent! :p

relrel · Marc Jacobs

kenzie wrote:

Thanks, relrel (not trying to thread hijack from subwolley or anything, but these are questions I had, too). My company does not allow people to work from home, but they did allow another person in my department to drop down to three days one week/two days the next for several months while he built up his freelance clientele. It was easier than replacing him (they still haven't replaced him- they just dumped his work on someone else). So, obviously, it can be done here. Maybe I'll contact him and see how he approached it...

I think the bolded part from above is really invaluable when approaching a supervisor about a change in status. You need to frame the status change as beneficial to them.

kenzie · Chanel

relrel wrote:

kenzie wrote:

Thanks, relrel (not trying to thread hijack from subwolley or anything, but these are questions I had, too). My company does not allow people to work from home, but they did allow another person in my department to drop down to three days one week/two days the next for several months while he built up his freelance clientele. It was easier than replacing him (they still haven't replaced him- they just dumped his work on someone else). So, obviously, it can be done here. Maybe I'll contact him and see how he approached it...

I think the bolded part from above is really invaluable when approaching a supervisor about a change in status. You need to frame the status change as beneficial to them.

Actually, it could really work in my favor right now. My company is on a hiring freeze until next year. No new employees. Even if one quits. They will not be replaced.

kenzie · Chanel

subwolley wrote:

I feel that I could do my current job at home and in less time. I don't know if they would go for it, but I think I could do it. I'm wondering if I need to wait until I find another part-time job and say to them what you said: "I found another job, BUT I would be willing to stay if I could go part-time." Or should I just come out and say "My dream is to start my own business and I need to go part-time. Can we work something out?"

-----

Right now, the job market is stupid slow. I've been going back in forth in my mind whether to leave my current job or find another. I even applied to one job, went to the interview and then withdrew my application. Now I think I'm regretting that, but maybe it wasn't meant to be anyway. Whenever I see myself in the future, I see myself the happiest working from home and having more job freedom, do what I love to do. So why would I apply for another full-time job when I can just start working on my freelance more.

It just sucks because I am really stressed out at my job right now. I've expressed this to my boss, and she doesn't seem to care, or care to really stand up for me to do anything about it. I withdrew my application from another job, because I thought I could change my attitude about my current job and make it work, but that didn't last long. So I got to get out....like now.

Anyway, this turned into a vent! :p

Subwolley, I am in a very similar situation and I'm wondering the same thing. I've tried, like you to make things better, but my boss just doesn't care.

I definitely feel your pain. Good luck to you and keep us posted!

subwolley · Kate Spade

My bf did say the same thing: " Make it sound beneficial to them." So would I just say something like: "You wouldn't have to hire someone else, and I can do the work in half the time."

Thanks Kenzie, I will. :)

Also on another note:

The job I applied for a month ago is STILL open. When I withdrew my application, I told them the reason was that I wanted to work on my freelance business. My bf thinks I should email them and ask if they are interested in hiring someone (me) part-time. I feel kind of weird about doing that, but the bf says it doesn't hurt to ask. Thoughts?

-- Edited by subwolley on Tuesday 24th of March 2009 10:04:06 AM

kenzie · Chanel

That's the thing-- they couldn't hire anyone else even if they wanted to because of the hiring freeze until the end of this year. Definitely works in my favor.

I think you should ask the other company if they would consider you part-time. The worst they can say is no.

Aurora · Marc Jacobs

State jobs can be a little tricky. Not sure how your state is but in my old state (Louisiana) they were very particular about having a set # of hours charged for positions to prove that they needed that position and person even if that person sat around all day and did nothing. They didn't want to lose the warm body there and the part-time/full-time status. I ran into trouble my last semester in my student worker job because my class schedule could not be fixed so that I could charge 20 hours a week but only 16 hours. My boss after much talking finally accepted 16 hours a week but was pissed with me about it and always asked if I could stay longer/more even though I had to get to class.

Not sure if that is how your state is but they may nix the part-time if they want to keep that a full-time position.

subwolley · Kate Spade

Aurora wrote:

State jobs can be a little tricky. Not sure how your state is but in my old state (Louisiana) they were very particular about having a set # of hours charged for positions to prove that they needed that position and person even if that person sat around all day and did nothing. They didn't want to lose the warm body there and the part-time/full-time status. I ran into trouble my last semester in my student worker job because my class schedule could not be fixed so that I could charge 20 hours a week but only 16 hours. My boss after much talking finally accepted 16 hours a week but was pissed with me about it and always asked if I could stay longer/more even though I had to get to class.

Not sure if that is how your state is but they may nix the part-time if they want to keep that a full-time position.

This is also my concern. I know they can't just do whatever they want. They have to get permission. I work at a University and we are also on a hiring freeze. The very few job postings there are right now have to get approved first. I don't know how this would be for asking an employer to go part-time, especially when they are asking for full-time.