Part-time Professional: Redesign Your Job

Redesign Your Job into a Part-time Arrangement:
A Pre-Proposal Planning Exercise

All the work/life balance experts agree: The proven, most effective way to get approval to work a part-time schedule is to make your request with a written proposal outlining the details of your redesigned work arrangement.

The planning steps below get you started. Print out this page and complete the crucial pre-proposal preparation so you can insert the custom portions of your proposal.

Ready? Start the steps.

Note: After you've considered the specific work schedule you’d like, then completed the steps below, realize you may have to adjust your desired schedule to better match the responsibilities of your job.

Step 1. List the various work functions of your current position. Be thorough; use rich, detailed descriptions related to your job role. (This reminds your manager and others who may review your proposal how you are contributing to the organization.) Draw on your official job description and keep a work log to aid you.

Step 2. Carefully think through the specifics of each job function. Then label each function with the letter corresponding to the descriptions below.

A Critical essence of my job or an employer priority, or both

B Enjoyable; a professional challenge; interesting; a good use of my talents and skills

C Could be delegated to a subordinate or done by a part-time new hire (at a lower hourly wage than yours) either on my “off” day(s) or all the time

D Could be reassigned to a coworker or another department

E Could be a shared job function

F Could be eliminated and wouldn’t be missed (a careful assessment of job tasks often reveals some to be simply “busy work”, a duplication, or otherwise unnecessary)

For some job functions that are generally quantified, suggest a number that coincides with your new schedule. For example, Emily is an account executive who adjusted the number of accounts she services; Neil is a physical therapist who revised the number of patients he sees in his shortened workday.

For those job functions which may need some level of coverage during your “off” day(s), devise a way for each to be handled. Provide a brief narrative for each one. Determine to what degree coverage is needed. Do you need full coverage or just a back-up for unexpected situations? Will the back-up be another person or an electronic link to you by pager, cell phone, e-mail or other means? Include the specifics when you complete Step 3.

If your reduced workweek makes it necessary for some job functions to be reassigned to someone else within or outside your work group or department, outline specifics and rationale for each. If someone else will perform a function only in your absence, is it a good skills development opportunity for a staff person whose work you could check on your next workday? Indicate this. Work through the specifics and note them for inclusion when you do Step 3.

Step 3. Take your results from Step 2 above and regroup the job functions by letter. Job functions labeled “A” would be listed together followed by job functions labeled “B”, and so on.

Step 4. Finally, insert your results into the format found below the introduction paragraph in the “B. Job Responsibilities” section of the Part-time Flex Success Proposal Template. <http://workoptions.com/flexsucc-pt.htm>

If you want to complete your proposal ASAP, order Part-time Flex Success Proposal Template. It could be on your computer in about six minutes from now, customized in about an hour, and ready to present to your manager by tomorrow.

“...consultant Pat Katepoo has thought of everything, put it into no-nonsense terminology and included an irresistible business case. Just fill in the blanks.” Susan Seitel, President, WFC Resources

Download Part-time Flex Success now: <http://flexsuccess.com/coac.html>