Work & Family
Part-Time Workers Face Lack of Job Opportunities
By SUE SHELLENBARGER
ROBERT JOHNSON OF Fort Worth, Texas, has been looking for the
past several months for something that's as scarce as a good five-cent
cigar: a meaningful, permanent part-time job.
The problem isn't that Mr. Johnson lacks skills. He's a former aerospace
engineer with a law degree who practiced law for 20 years, then trained
as a certified software technician. Rather, he laments, "in everything
I
have expertise in -- engineering, law, computer work -- employers want
somebody full time." In other cases, he adds, the part-time
opportunities aren't challenging.
After a 15-year trend toward workplace flexibility, most big employers
now offer setups aimed at allowing people to jam more roles and
responsibilities into their day. But the idea of allowing people simply
to
cut back to a good, permanent part-time job has been a nonstarter at
most companies.
People working part-time voluntarily -- that is, those who have chosen
reduced hours, rather than being forced into them by a lack of full-time
work -- slipped to 13.8% of the work force last year from 14.3% in
1994, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Hewitt Associates,
Lincolnshire, Ill., found companies offering part-time jobs in 1999 fell
to
47% from 50% in 1998.
PLENTY OF LOW-PAYING part-time jobs can be found in call centers,
retailing and other service businesses, of course. Also, through gritty
determination, some workers, mostly women, have carved out good
part-time roles. Some companies allow parents to return part-time for a
while after parental leave. And professionals at some law, consulting and
accounting firms have staked out part-time status without falling off the
partner track.
Nevertheless, many workers long for part-time status. The Families and
Work Institute says a full 33% of women and 28% of men would prefer
to work part time if they could afford it. Other surveys found that given
a choice between more time or more money, 40% to 60% of Americans
would take the time. Demographics are fueling that wish; AARP says
58% of baby boomers want to work part time into their retirement.
Many who ask to reduce their hours meet strong
resistance. When a corporate strategist for a New
Jersey financial-services firm asked to switch to the
part-time status offered in his employer's written
policies, the response from a manager was, 'You've
got to be kidding!' the strategist says. He was so
stunned he dropped the idea. He has since left the
company.
Tracy Wilson, of Richmond, Va., part of a
top-producing bond-sales team at a banking
concern, laid the groundwork for a part-time
position. She had an agreement from her partners
and a plan for meeting goals. Then, she asked her boss to test a
reduced-hours schedule, with periodic evaluations. Her boss refused,
saying he didn't want to set a precedent, she says. At her boss's
suggestion, she found a job-share partner. Again, the boss said no,
that he had changed his mind, Ms. Wilson says. "It was something I
couldn't understand," she says. She has since taken a new job.
FROM EMPLOYERS' STANDPOINT, most of the costs of part-timers
are manageable. Part-timers tend to pay a larger share of health
insurance, while life insurance, pensions and payroll taxes tend to cost
their employers less. Part-timers, however, often need full-time office
space. A bigger hurdle is inconvenience. Managing more bodies can be
complex. And work hours in many jobs are so open-ended that it can
be hard to figure out a part-timer's pay, says Hewitt's Carol Sladek.
Complexities aside, employers may be missing a good bet here. In one
of the most compelling experiments I've seen, Pfizer in 1999 created a
part-time sales force called Vista Rx. To boost sales in target
high-potential regions, the drug maker chose 60 employees who wanted
to work 60% of full time, with benefits. "We focus on talented,
high-performance people with a very strong track record within Pfizer,"
says Bruce Fleischmann, national director of sales for Vista.
The results exceeded projections. Sales in Vista areas are up 1.5% to
4.5% over areas without Vista reps. "Field sales managers are clamoring
to get more Vista reps," Mr. Fleischmann says. The program has
expanded to 130 reps; about 100 internal applicants are waiting in line.
Mr. Fleischmann believes as many as 75% of Vista reps would have quit
without the program.
John Ray, 57, a top-performing 29-year Pfizer veteran, was considering
early retirement until Vista came along. He loves his work and values the
deep bonds he has formed with physicians. But he wanted more time to
enjoy his adult children, spend time with his wife, play golf. As a Vista
rep, he has struck a satisfying balance, he says. Other Vista reps
compete in triathlons or care for family.
There are several lessons here. First, when results are measured,
well-managed part-timers can really produce. Catalyst, New York, has
similar findings from studies of part-timers. Second, top employers --
Pfizer has been named the No. 1 pharmaceutical sales force by doctors
for six straight years -- see merit in putting part-timers to good use.
Third, a well-run part-time program can retain top performers -- exactly
the people employers need to keep in a slowing economy.
If more employers bothered to offer systematic part-time programs and
measure the results, they might find out the same thing.
Send your comments to sue.shellenbarger@wsj.com.