Various things lately – including the excellent Digital Women Teacamp last week – have been making me think differently about my ‘@lowkeyhighflyer‘ handle.
I adopted it in optimistic and lighthearted mood when going on sabbatical about seven years ago. I went through a long phase in the middle when I was embarrassed by it, but too lazy to change all of my accounts. Then, gradually, I started to feel better about it again – which is nice for me, but also involved clarifying some stuff that I want to share.
First, the low key bit. It’s not about being subdued – more about balance and restraint, wanting to progress in my career and challenge myself, but not at the expense of the other things and people that I value.
It’s about knowing my own limits – I wish I was one of those people with boundless energy who need only 4 hours sleep but I’m just never going to be – and about recognising what I need as an introvert (if you haven’t yet read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won’t Stop Talking I recommend it, for knowing yourself and others better). Over time, I have lost many of my most obviously or negatively introverted characteristics – I work well in teams, can present confidently to rooms full of people, and only rarely suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’ (more about that in the second half of this blog) – but I still find it physically exhausting to be ‘always on’ at work or socially, and need my time away to recharge if I am to remain positive and effective.
The most obvious way that I act on this is to work part time.
I started working four days a week almost ten years ago, simply because I did some sums, realised it was more affordable than I thought (if I added half an hour to my other days and after adjusting for tax), and sensed – rightly – that it would be better for my happiness, health and general sanity.
I’d just finished a big, tiring project at work in London, and was using a lot of my leave to have long weekends with my other half up in York – but more than that, I just find it productive to have time to myself. Sometimes, of course, I spend my days off watching TV – but I also do my best thinking, get less stressed about my chores, see my friends, go to galleries and generally have a better, broader experience. Now that I have a child, I work seven days a fortnight and it helps me to keep up with her and provide for her needs.
I’m not going to go into the arguments about part time work and productivity here – suffice to say that I am quite sure it makes me more productive and more loyal to my employer. No doubt it wouldn’t work for everyone, but in general terms it seems a simple equation to me (though not a simple piece of social and cultural change) that higher employment combined with lower average working hours makes for a happier and healthier workforce. But then, if I had my way we’d be running some kind of Mincome.
At the digital women teacamp, we had a discussion about working part time and how to approach this in interviews. Thankfully, we came out in favour of honest, grown-up conversations about your needs versus those of the role – but not without acknowledging the depressing realities of how problematic this can be. We talked about factors including the impact on co-workers; the types of role that genuinely require a certain pattern of availability or flexibility; and some specific concerns including my niggling worry that government – in our righteous enthusiasm for agile development – are implementing it in a way that risks denying flexibility and putting off part time workers. We erred on the side of equating part time working with childcare, but pulled back from the brink in time to remember that people may have other, equally legitimate reasons to want flexibility.
In all of this discussion, though, and in most of the discussion that I see elsewhere on the subject of part time and flexible working and employment, we neglected to mention one very important fact – which I am going to put in shouty bold because it should be obvious but really bears shouting about:
If you employ someone who works part time, you get their full package of skills and experience for LESS MONEY.
Of course, when you employ someone you are looking for a balance of the person with their availability – but while turning up for work is important, adding value is surely more so. This is the single most obvious fact about part time working – that it reduces salary – but we take it for granted to such an extent that employers seem to forget the deal on flexible working cuts both ways and should be a win win much of the time.
We also talked about ‘leaning in’. I want to be clear that in working part time, and taking the low key, meandering path, I am not stepping away. I am leaning in, by making conscious choices about what works for me, and being prepared for grown up but unapologetic discussions about them.
lowkeyhighflyer 