By W2W Ventures Staff

1. Be realistic – often times the burden of creating a successful part-time job will fall on the shoulders of the employee. Why? Because many managers see the design and maintenance of a part-time arrangement as an additional burden. You may have to work to remove this perception.
   
   
2. Set expectations - Make your schedule, priorities and plans clear to the organization before you start your part-time schedule. Answer questions like: When is it okay to call you at home? When do you plan on returning full-time, if at all?
   
   
3. Make a business case for the arrangement – Discuss the arrangement with your co-workers try to determine what objections might be and create thoughtful responses to use in discussions and a formal proposal.
   • Be subtle, but inject into the discussion the use of the part-time work to keep you engaged so that you can transition back into the workforce (tread carefully and subtly hint that the option is a retention tool – i.e. you will stay with the firm or find a competitor that will offer part-time).
   • Stress the essence of any job – the work will be done well and on-time, your capacity will just be less.
   • If your job has any type of creative component stress that the employer will now have a higher “thought-time” to salary ratio. In other words, your mind may still be working even when you are not paid to work. After-all, many creative approaches come to people when they aren’t “on the clock”
   • Lastly, there are many studies that part-timers are actually more productive than their full-time equivalents.
   
   
   
4. Establish disciplined transparent routines that will create as much predictability and dependability for those working with you. Use the same philosophy to protect your personal time. That is, schedule your personal time so you know you will be busy and can confidently defend your time from “work creep.” One sticking point is meetings.
   
   
5. Develop advocates in senior management and supervisors – Executives who have faced similar challenges will likely lend a sympathetic ear. These people can watch out for you while you are out and also support your arrangement in decision-making meetings.
   
   
6. Stay visible – Being visible doesn’t mean you need to be physically present, just that you have a presence in the office. Make sure that those around you are reminded that you are part of the team and productive. Use e-mails and voice-mails to maintain this presence. You will have to heighten your political awareness and do your best to manage your image and reputation as a productive and dependable contributor.
   
   
7. Establish a trial period. Formalize a trial period so that you can get feedback and head off any nuisances before they become deal threatening problems. Do your best do quantify the results of your work and productivity.