Danielle Chew

Working part time has allowed me to successfully contribute to my family both financially and with time. As a wise person once said “Love is spelt T.I.M.E. to our children” and part time work for me is a key enabler for this in my family situation. As a daughter of a single mum that worked long hours throughout my childhood to survive I am taking her learns and trying my best to both have a career but also time for myself and my family to ensure that I don’t burn out and prioritise being healthy in mind and body - which includes being present for my girls.

Part time work at all levels in a corporate organisation is possible, leaders and their teams just need to think differently to how work was managed in the past and try different ways of working. This might mean we ask others to step and complete tasks that haven’t done before, redefine and rescope roles to be outcome driven. Having an open mind and focus on making it work for all parties involved in the working relationship is key, also business or family needs can change over time – be prepared to have conversations about those changes and adapt as both sides evolve.

Communication is key in my role and the success part time. Ensuring stakeholders know my hours and what I am responsible for – and who they can go to if there is anything urgent when I am not in the office. Using tools such as out-of-office messages, email signatures with my hours, Teams or WhatsApp chat for different stakeholders have also helped me work successfully part time. Sometimes like all roles you might have to work more hours occasionally but having clear boundaries with the likes of school pick up and not checking emails on my day off (as much as possible!) ensures that you are not underselling yourself and working outside your hours.

Working part time allows me to flex my home life around my career and vice versa, it also shows my young girls that anything is possible – but you don’t need to sacrifice all things important to them whether it is school trips or just biking to daycare together for a career. I believe we should have more part time roles at a senior level to allow our children and our colleagues to see that we don’t need to have one or the other, we can have both and not burn ourselves out trying to be all things to all people.