Managing a team with part time staff

[1neverending]

I am taking over line management a team of 4 people, the two women are part time, one is 4 days a week and one is 3 days a week. The other two are young men, no families.

I have been given the opportunity to restructure the team due to a vacancy and ideally support the current staff by creating a job the next band up as my deputy so that they can apply for it.

The two women are by far more experienced but I really struggle that they can't 'cover' the job as well due to not being in to attend meetings with external people, meetings are often on Fridays or late afternoons and they both finish work early to do school runs and are simply not available.

Both part time agreements were made pre my time there and I understand 1 agreement is due to a long term Heath condition.

I feel really frustrated in that I have two men who work FT but lack experience and one of them I don't even feel he has capability.
And two women who could do the job easily as it would be a fantastic progression opportunity but I don't feel I could support them as I need someone full time or even more flexibility with their hours, not a 7am to 3pm which is pointless as the miss key meetings

I guess all I'm after is advice and other people's experience

You need work out how to move the meetings so they can be accommodated.

If you think they can do the job in 4 days they should not be penalised for having other responsibilities. This is the gender pay gap, right here

Yes, what HeyMicky said.

If they knew there was a chance of progression would they change their hours? Is it a matter they can’t do more hours or don’t want to?
We have part timers at work who could do more hours as their kids are getting older but are happy as they are but if there was a chance to be a deputy I know one would definitely change her hours

Or do they even want progression and the extra stress that comes with it?

How much would them being part time actually impact on the team needs and performance? Can meetings be moved or do they need to be at specific days / times for operational reasons? If you would always need to pick their stuff up for them, then what’s the point of having a deputy?

I agree that this is the gender pay gap here; the most qualified should get the job. I was promoted to director level working part time and my part time hours, managing a large team and client facing work, were never a factor - I was the most qualified and suitable for the role. Your company needs to promote more flexibility to part time works; may not be easy but flexible working is only going to become more prevalent, particularly in light of Covid, so you might as well get ahead of the curve now.

You are going to get some interesting responses!

I know it's not fair on the women and I've worked part time so understand the compromise, but as another poster said, what's the point of having a deputy if I end up having to cover for them.

I can't just move meetings , the role is externally facing, particularly as we move up and take more responsibility as we have to represent our organisation at various external meetings. We need to be available for meetings and the team just isn't big enough to cover each other all the time.

We absolutely move internal meetings to suit them.

Our company is flexible hence they work part time and that includes one day a week at home for, before Covid.

I decided to work full time when I joined the company as I dong believe I can do the job well enough on part time hours

In fact it's because it's absolutely not fair on women that I'm struggling with it.

Also I know one of them does want a more senior role but doesn't want to work full time

In fact it's because it's absolutely not fair on women that I'm struggling with it.

Also I know one of them does want a more senior role but doesn't want to work full time

Can you create a job share? If one is part time due to health rather than school hours maybe between them they can cover the role?

I too was about to suggest a job share?

You could make it happen with some flex on both sides. Can you really not challenge the time of the external meetings? Are they late afternoon because of time differences abroad? Could you move them later and the part timer pick up from home? A skilled part timer gives more productivity than a lacklustre full timer.

I think it's your mindset that's the problem not these women or part time hours.

You bemoan their hours for not giving you the "flexibility" you want, but where's the flex in your thinking or attitude?

It's such a backwards and old fashioned way to look at

Why can't the two women work as a job share? Then recruit someone lower down to backfill their roles?

I'm struggling to understand your problem. The more the thread goes on the angrier I'm getting.
I've worked part time for the last 16 years and will never work full time again if I can help it!

Surely your first step is to advertise it and see who applies. If the women don't apply and the men don't meet the interview bar then they don't get appointed and you go external.
If either of the women apply and meet the bar then you have a discussion.
I work part time, have recently gone up from 3 to 4 days as my son is older and my circumstances have changed. For all you know their circumstances may have changed.
I don't really understand your assumption that the job should go to an incompetent person, male or female, just because they are in the team. You are also making an assumption that the men will apply.
They all should be given the opportunity to apply, you base your decision to offer the job on their applications and interview. Then you deal with the decision at hand.

Agree with the comments of PPs, the best candidate should get the role regardless of how many hours they work.

You say that the person will be customer facing & need to attend meetings externally, surely many of these can be within hours that suit the individual? Ie in my work we would never offer a meeting on a Sunday or over lunchtime, if a customer asked for that we would find an alternate mutually agreeable time!

I agree that a job share could be an option you consider.

I think you are being very negative and discriminatory toward PT employees (I say this as a manager who has only ever worked full time)

Agree with the comments of PPs, the best candidate should get the role regardless of how many hours they work.

You say that the person will be customer facing & need to attend meetings externally, surely many of these can be within hours that suit the individual? Ie in my work we would never offer a meeting on a Sunday or over lunchtime, if a customer asked for that we would find an alternate mutually agreeable time!

I agree that a job share could be an option you consider.

I think you are being very negative and discriminatory toward PT employees (I say this as a manager who has only ever worked full time)

Job share.

Can you word the advert to say it could be done flexibly and candidates' ideas on the way that would work would be considered?
They might come up with something interesting.

I think you're showing yourself to be quite narrow minded tbh. I work four days and I am great at my job, imo .

If you would rather have someone less good for five days, then that's your own lookout. But you would benefit from a more creative approach to the team perhaps. Why not create a role that's slightly different but makes maximum use of the skills in the team?

Also be careful this I decided to work full time when I joined the company as I dong believe I can do the job well enough on part time hours isn't clouding your thinking.

I agree with others that the best & most experienced person should get the job.

There are solutions:

• job share
• person works 3 longer days to include a Friday
• person may want a promotion & be able to use after school club or childminder perhaps 2 days a week
• meetings are scheduled for when person is in office

In recent times online meetings have become more common so perhaps if worker is not onsite then they could join meeting from home?

If you read my post I have said I would of been happy if they had some more flexibility in their hours.

I used to work part time and would come in if there was a key meeting etc.

I have not said I am giving the job to the men, and we have always offered flexibility about working from home etc but these meetings are key, and when they involve 6-10 different organisations it is very hard to rearrange as they are normally at the end of the week for a reason.

There are lots of jobs you can do flexibly and part time, and some you can't, for example you can't facilitate an event if your not there or take the lead in a meeting if you don't work that day ?