When I first had both of my kids, I was working more than full-time at an ad agency, working my ass off to climb the corporate ladder. The show Mad Men is not necessarily a perfect portrayal of ad life, but it’s pretty accurate in some ways! The hours are LONG depending on the deadlines, and the stress can be super high.
While they did reward us with a beer cart that came around at 3pm every Friday, it was super hard to find a balance between work and mom life. I was constantly feeling unfulfilled: at work because I was constantly feeling guilty about being there so much, and at home because so much of my time was spent at the office. And there were weeks that even AFTER I left the office, I had to finish things up at home.
It really started to wear me down once I found out I was pregnant with Benjamin. As I got closer and closer to my due date, I started to feel really anxious about the thought of keeping this way of life at my job knowing I would soon have TWO babies! A toddler and a newborn! And a husband that works so much he barely sleeps! There was no way I could keep working like this and be the mom and wife I wanted to be.
I started Googling. I knew there were so women and mamas out there who had felt this way, and I wanted to believe that some of them actually DID something about it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years (and several self-help books), it’s that I am in control of my life. I needed to take matters into my own hands and do something to make a change.
At the time, I wasn’t in a position to completely quit my job and stay at home. I wanted to work, I just needed to find a way to make some adjustments. I did a ton of research and ended up piecing together a few different written proposals. I basically put together a preliminary plan for how this could work, and took it to my boss.
Mind you, there was not one “part-time” salary position at my company at this time. This was completely taboo and my expectations of it actually happening were pretty low, but I knew it was worth a try. I knew it was a long shot, but there were two things I DID know:
- My worth and value. I was damn good at my job. I worked really really hard for 6+ years at that point to prove myself and be a respected senior level member of our company. And even if you don’t have that kind of tenure, you’re allowed to be confident enough to tell your management that it’s worth their time to accommodate your needs. If you believe it, you can fight for it! And if your boss values you as much as he or she should, they won’t want to lose you altogether.
- Things had to change. My husband owns his own logistics company and it’s an extremely demanding industry, let alone the fact that he was still in the thick of his first five years of growing it. One of us needed to be more available for our children. There were days when I’d have to call my mother-in-law to take my sick child to the doctor because I “couldn’t leave work” that day. I needed to have a more flexible schedule for my babies.
All of that being said, I also didn’t know my boss very well going into this! She was relatively new and while I felt like I was slowly getting to know her better, I had no idea how she would react. I tell you all of this because I am sure a few of you reading this are thinking “my boss would never go for that” or “part-time schedules are just not a possibility in my industry.”
Use that to your advantage. Tell your boss that your company can use this as a trial to see if it may help boost employee morale. Maybe offering part-time positions would help prevent burnout, and actually make people more productive during the hours they were actually at the office. Do your research and read up on case studies of other companies that have found great success in allowing it– there are tons of them out there!
Another thing I was worried about going into this was my boss saying,“If I let you do this, then everyone is going to want to do it.” Keep this in mind: first off, most people aren’t going to want to take a salary cut. The way this typically works is your salary decreases by the same percentage that your hours decrease. So to make this easy, if you were making $50,000/year and you cut your hours back to 20% of what your company considers “full-time”, then your salary would be adjusted back to $40,000.
Also consider that there are people who are so regimented with their schedules and would hate the thought of changing it after so long. A lot of people strongly dislike change. That 9-5 job is an anchor in their lives. It’s their routine and it’s what they know. These types of people are not going to be running to their bosses after they hear you made a schedule change. Plus, it’s not your responsibility to worry about other people anyway. Stay focused on YOU, because as Rachel Hollis says, other peoples’ opinions of you are none of your business.
I printed off two copies of my proposal for my meeting with my boss. I was overwhelmed at how understanding she was of my situation and my desire to cut back a bit. It was extremely empowering to hear her encourage me to do what I needed to do in order to thrive, both in my career and as a mother. She knew how much of an asset I was to our team, and knew that if she didn’t accommodate, she would most likely lose me altogether. She also complimented me on the professionalism I demonstrated by bringing a well thought-out document to the table.
You’re probably thinking “well of course if your boss was a woman she understood, but my boss is a man and he won’t understand.” I beg to differ. First off, my boss had to take this proposal to the male president and male COO of my company and have them approve it, without me even being there to state my case and have them hear me out. They approved it.
Also, keep in mind that behind every strong man, there is usually an even stronger woman! If your male boss has a wife a kids, he most likely knows how intense parenting and motherhood can be at times. I guarantee there were times in their lives that they struggled with the same situation, or that his wife stayed home with the kids altogether. Even he can probably relate.
We ended up agreeing on cutting my hours back from 9-6ish (but let’s be real, sometimes that was actually 10pm!) to 8:30-2:30 every day. I arrived at 8:30, before most of my team members and before most of our clients got into the office. That way I had a half hour to catch up on whatever I missed the previous afternoon.
I left at 2:30 every day, no matter what. I tried to be very disciplined about not checking my phone or emails after 2:30. If our clients called or texted me, I did my best to politely ask that they get ahold of another member of our team. They were also very understanding of my new schedule and thought it was awesome that I was doing what I needed to do to find a better work/life balance! I’m telling you guys, you’ll most likely be surprised at the amount of support that comes your way upon pursuing something like this.
Working mamas are so amazing. Finding the right balance can be SO difficult. But you have to remember, you shouldn’t just be “okay” with being unhappy and feeling unfulfilled. You deserve more for yourself.
Below is a sample “template” of the proposal I used! Feel free to use this as a starting point if this is something you’re interested in. It will obviously need some adjusting depending on your industry, your position, etc…but I thought this would at least help you have a starting point!
A PROPOSAL FOR MODIFYING THE
(insert position name) POSITION HELD BY (name)
Submitted by (name)
(date)
INTRODUCTION
This proposal outlines a plan for modifying my current full-time position as (position name) into an equally-productive reduced workweek arrangement.
PURPOSE
The plan outlined below is a cost-saving approach to retaining my training and experience that will also foster an increase in on-the-job productivity, efficiency and creativity.
PLAN
A. WORK SCHEDULE
The proposed work schedule is Monday-Friday, 8:30am-2:30pm (30 hours per week).
Getting into the office around 8:30 will be useful for me to get caught up on the previous day’s communication before the day really starts around 9. Leaving around 2:30 will still give me some time after lunch with the team.
I propose a trial run of this schedule leading up to my maternity leave. Before maternity leave, we can discuss/address whether it makes sense to continue this schedule upon my return.
Variations to this schedule would include my attendance at all-day photoshoots, client visits, client meetings where my presence is requested and travel is necessary, and any other mandatory meetings or trainings that management feels are important.
B. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the proposed arrangement, certain aspects of my position can be modified to meet the schedule change while still meeting the needs of the job.
With a focus on work productivity and professional growth rather than hours, my job effectiveness will not be compromised by the new arrangement.
Below I’ve itemized the key job responsibilities I’d like to uphold and manage under the proposed new schedule. Focusing more on the below job functions will help me to grow into more of an supervisory role:
- This is where you would list out which job responsibilities you would keep/take on. I listed about 10 in mine.
Using my new schedule to focus on the various tasks listed above will help me to remove myself more from some of the day-to-day tasks I currently take part in. I feel confidently these tasks can be handled and owned by (XX team members under you). Examples of these tasks include:
- This is where I listed out all the tasks I was currently doing that I didn’t NEED to be doing at my level of experience. Things that I should definitely be delegating.
C. Communication and Workflow Continuity
I will inform my direct team members of my modified work schedule by sitting down with them individually and having an open conversation about their needs/concerns. I feel very strongly that this adjusted schedule should have no negative impact on the other members of my team, but rather be a growth opportunity for them. I want this transition to empower them, and give them the confidence they need to grow in their roles at (XX company).
Our clients should not feel burdened by this and it can be communicated to them in a way that makes them feel confident their work will not be impacted negatively whatsoever. All of our team members should remain included on all client communication, all of the time, even during my off-hours (which should really always be the case). Any communication that comes through directly to my attention after I have left for the day will be addressed ASAP the following morning between 8:30 and 9:30. Should an urgent need arise when I’m not in the office, my team should always feel they can reach me via cell phone.
E. Compensation
Salary adjustment under the new arrangement would reflect an adjustment of my current full-time salary. I propose prorating my salary at the 80% level to reflect the schedule reduction. This reflects 75% of my current hours (30 hours/week), plus a 5% addition to be available when needed for all-day photo shoots, all-day client meetings, travel, important team meetings outside of my new schedule, etc. This would mean reducing my current salary from $XX,XXX to $XX,XXX.
I would still like to be considered for raises/promotions on an annual basis during my reviews, based on performance and results, the same way I would be if working full-time. My PTO time should also be reduced to 80% of my current allowance.
F. Benefits Coverage
My benefits should stay the same and should not change under the adjusted work week schedule I’ve proposed because I will still be working 30 hours per week (this is XX company’s policy). **Note: make sure you look into your company’s benefits policy when it comes to reducing your hours! You want to make sure you don’t lose any of your insurance, etc.
G. Savings
XX company will realize approximately $XX,XXX a year savings by reducing my salary according to the terms I have stated in the compensation section.
H. Evaluation
As previously stated, I propose this arrangement be given a trial during the months leading up to my maternity leave, with at least two trouble-shooting sessions during the trial period. During this time, I would like to hear the honest opinions of my team members in terms of how this new arrangement is going and how I can improve upon it.
SUMMARY
This is your opportunity to fight for yourself and put it in writing! Talk about the value you add to your company and to your team. List out your accomplishments and talk about your growth. Talk about the dedication you have to your work, and how badly you want to continue to thrive!
End with something like:
Company name’s support of this new arrangement will keep me extremely committed to my role as a (position name) here at (company name).
I am open to discussion about any concerns that I might have missed in this proposal, and welcome any suggestions for making the arrangement successful.
Thank you!
___________________________
I hope this is helpful for any of you that can relate to the position I was in just a couple of years ago. It can weigh heavy on your heart! I hope you all know you are rockstars and can find a way to continue to have a career for yourself, and also be a badass mama bear!
Please send me any questions you might have about the process I went through. My email is elizseitz@gmail.com.
xoxo
