We found that 61 per cent of respondees were interested in working a four-day week or nine-day fortnight and would gladly sacrifice salary to do so.
There is also a growing body of research to suggest that flexible work practices pay off for employers. A Working Mom's Research Survey of 50,000 US employees found that people who are happy with their work-life benefits are also likely to work 21 per cent harder, and are 33 per cent more likely to stay.
The attraction of working reduced hours is straightforward: flexibility and time to care for children, while still contributing to the family's income. There is also usually a very strong pull to continue to contribute to their profession in a meaningful and rewarding way, leveraging years of experience and acquired talents.
On the whole, reduced hours can look like a very alluring proposition - the perfect middle ground - a mix of fulfilling and stimulating work, and an opportunity to play a significant caregiving role, but not predominantly one over the other.
There are clear benefits for both employee and employer, but the question remains, how do you make it work successfully in your organisation?
How do you make shortened hours work for employees, the organisation and the teams they work in, particularly in senior roles?
There are many examples of successful arrangements, with organisations and individuals balancing give-and-take.
However, occasionally well-intended arrangements go awry. Sometimes the role is still really a full-time job, masquerading as part-time. In some cases team communication suffers as people struggle to find meeting times to suit all, and work may bottleneck as key decisions are delayed while part-timers are out of the office.
Also career progression for professionals in part-time roles can sometimes falter. It may be that they are overlooked for critical stretch assignments and professional development opportunities, limiting future career growth and advancement.
However there is another much less discussed barrier to success which interestingly turns out to be the very phrase "part time".
Research into unconscious bias suggests that just being labelled as a part timer can reduce your status in the eyes of others. This happens in organisational cultures that value and reward face-time and visibility in the office, and perceived commitment (demonstrated by working full-time and often long hours). Because of this, the contribution of part-time workers may be undervalued.
Some part-timers don't help themselves in this regard, referring to themselves as "only part time", further reducing their value in their own eyes and the eyes of others.
Unfortunately in an effort to demonstrate commitment, some flexible workers end up working much longer than required to prove themselves worthy, making up time in the weekend and evenings. Researchers have coined this phenomenon "the flexibility stigma", as discussed in a recent article by the Atlantic - The Hidden Cost of a Flexible Job.
So how are organisations tackling this?
There are many organisations tackling these issues and presenting a range of innovative solutions to encourage more flexibility at work and acceptance of different work habits.
One organisation we have worked with recently has had great success in this area, winning an international diversity award for its efforts.
Something as simple as a job title change can make all the difference. Critical customer service staff covering only peak hours were historically referred to as casual staff, and now are known as key time staff in an effort to boost confidence and status of this very important group of workers crucial to the businesses customer service delivery.
Targeted Leadership programmes were also offered to people leaders. Their purpose was to combine the latest thinking in conscious and unconscious bias, with tools to support leaders to have tailored and customised career conversations with all team members to facilitate optimal career-life blend.
Leaders worked through a range of practical tools and ways of thinking to support these conversations, such as discussing and better understanding typical career stages, career derailers, the benefits of a lattice approach to career pathways (highlighting lateral and diagonal career movement which provides more varied options for growth and development) and career diagnostic tools to uncover preferences such as work pace, desire for reduced or flexi hours and current bandwidth for extra work.
All of which provide leaders with the confidence and support to discuss and put in place flexible arrangements successfully.
Sometimes success can come from the support of a peer network of people in a similar position to you. Global organisations such as J.P. Morgan are supporting workers getting back up to speed after maternity leave by offering peer support in the way of organised return-to-work programmes. The group provides support where vulnerability can be discussed openly, and a forum for exchanging advice on personal and professional challenges.
Initiatives like these are critical to ensure key talents are not wasted because women and men can't find a way to use their skills in a way that won't compromise their desire to play a larger care-giving role at home.
Perhaps the term part-time needs a makeover to something that fully represents the value and commitment this growing group of professional women and men bring to the world of work.
• Debbie Schultz is Head of Client Partnerships Australasia for Fuel50 Career Engagement Group where she partners with clients to align Fuel50 Software with business HR and OD Strategy.
