19 BDO | GENDER BALANCE LISTENING EVENTS
PART-TIME WORKING
Many of the attendees had previously amended their working patterns or were currently working formal flexible working arrangements.
ACTION
There was a genuine conflict with not wanting to let the team down, but also needing to keep the boundaries that are so critical in making part-time working work. People don’t want to work five days and get paid for four. We discussed the impact due to covid of working from home for the past year, and the hope that with a shift to Agile Working, we can transform to becoming more outputs focused. Hopefully those perceptions of ‘leaving early’ or being ‘only’ part-time will be changing. However with that, the difficulty of boundaries becomes more important, as working remotely makes it easier to ‘just’ do an hour or two here and there. I couldn’t believe the flexibility and the openness of the Partner when I explained how I really wanted to work, but I wonder if this open to everyone or was I just lucky? - AD, Delegate “
We talked about good ways of saying ‘no’, but recognising this is really hard. Some delegates have sought a part-time arrangement but haven’t been able to obtain this – it seems dependent on the part of the business you’re in. This view is something that needs to be understood in further detail. We discussed progressing your career whilst working part-time. Many said that, although their ambition hadn’t gone away , there was a concern that it’s hard to see how you could take on a more senior role, with the additional pressures it brings, when you can barely make your current role work. Wendy had some great advice here, asking delegates to focus on what you can do differently? What can you let go? You aren’t expected to keep doing everything you were doing before, and take on extra – a promotion is a new role, with a new focus. Ask yourself - What do you really want to be known for and famous for. Get rid of the rest. There are a number of part-time Partners and Directors, so it is possible at BDO.
FOR BDO X Ensuring that the agile working policy means that the flexible mindset is here to stay, evolving as needed. Focus on outputs not time in office X Making sure team leaders are not just looking at who is in the office when they staff jobs X Networking events staying remote/ online; opens them up for all X Storytelling about part-time working at senior levels X Ensuring People Managers understand how to use AMP and focus on potential for progression, not just hours. FOR COLLEAGUES X Be honest about what you really need to do, and what you can delegate.
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