Does part-time work = career stagnation?

Succeeding in a part-time role can be tough.

First you have to find, and successfully land, a career-worthy part-time role. And if you've ever looked for one of these, you'll know they are few and far between!

Alternatively, you might look to negotiate to turn your current full-time role into a part-time one. This can also be challenging if your employer isn't initially keen on the idea.

Once you've gotten over these hurdles and landed your ideal part-time role, you might think the hard work is done.

But then after a while, you find you're no longer being given the best projects, and you're being passed over for development opportunities and promotions. This isn't every single part-timer's reality, but it's certainly very common.

Often the discrimination isn't even intentional. Many people simply assume part-timers aren't as career driven as their full-time peers.

So what can you do about it?

Understand the career handbrake risk factors that exist in your organisation (e.g. unconscious bias and assumptions about the commitment of part-timers)
Work to reduce these risks (e.g. by going out and talking to you manager and peers about your career goals, and the types of opportunities you are interested in)
Don't rely on others to approach you - put your hand up for those exciting projects and promotions!

If you're interested in learning more about how you can work part-time and continue to build an exciting and fulfilling career, you might enjoy my new guide: Accelerating Your Career While Working Part-Time.

Succeeding in a part-time role can be tough. But with the right systems and support, it doesn’t have to be!

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