The Part Time Power List is comprised of 23 women and two men (file picture). Photo: 123rf
The Part Time Power List is the brain child of Emma Mclean.
It includes job shares, people who work four-day weeks, and some who only work within school hours.
The aim of the list was to shine a light on employers and employees still able to build their career, working in part-time roles, Mclean told RNZ's Jesse Mulligan.
Mclean, the founder of a consultancy for working parents, said the list contained 23 women and two men.
"I think for me success is that we have more and more men working part time, asking for reduced hour roles, asking for more flexibility.
"Because if it's only women that are doing the part-time work, the system is never going to change," she said.
Of the 25 people working a four-day week was the most common arrangement, she said. Others were working school hours split over five days.
"The key thread I see through that is that they're saying, look, if you're going to work reduced hours, there's got to be give and take on both sides, on the employer and on the individual.
"But then also to make sure you know what are your firm boundaries? Are you okay to take the odd call on a Friday, but it's not okay to be expected to go in for a meeting?"
Because the five-day week is so entrenched in the work culture, skills in boundary setting are going to be key, she said.
"You're going to have to develop some new skills, setting and managing boundaries, saying no, and taming your people-pleaser tendencies."
She was disappointed to see so little progress being made on the four-day week, she said.
"I'm not really seeing it in my work, and I predominantly work with large New Zealand businesses. I support their parents when they come back to work, and I think people, even post Covid employers are still having real problems getting their head around how this might work.
"And I think just because something's hard, doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. And I don't see the shift coming quick enough for us, particularly at a senior level, particularly in large businesses at a general manager level, head of department level."
Some corporate high-flyers are making it work she said. Danielle Chew, is senior project leader at ANZ and works 24 hours a week.
"She would say that boundaries are really important. I think Danielle and others like her would say it's having a really clear view on what's okay and what's not. That if you're on school pickup, it's okay to take the odd call. It's not okay to be in a meeting. I think it's definitely boundaries."
Erica Beagley is head of brand and content Kiwibank and does a five-day week, but works school hours.
"School hours is a real pain point for a part of our lives. And if we have employers that understand that, it just generates so much loyalty," Mclean said.
She advises employees to bring their "curious mind" to talks about moving to part-time arrangements.
"A lot of our leaders they've just done things the way they've always done them. So, I think it's about using questions that start with how so? How might we re-scope my role so it could be a job share?
"How might we look at how this role could be part time? What outcomes might need to come out of it for that? Can you collaborate with me on that?"
And once you are on a part-time arrangement don't feel guilt, she said.
"One of the things I do see with managers, they can often feel guilty for working part time, they're letting their team down at work, or letting their family down when they're not there. But as one of my power part timers said to me, she works four days a week, and it's pro rata, so she leaves 20 percent of her salary on the table."
