Should You Work Part Time?

The economics of work are changing. In April, the number of part-time workers jumped 278,000 to a total of 7.9 million. Working a part time job may not shower you with company benefits and perks, but it does have its advantages.

Time is on Your Side

Let’s face it, today’s full time jobs are not just 9 to 5 anymore. If you want any attaboys, a promotion, even to hold on to your job, you’ve got to come in early and stay late. Nobody leaves at 5 pm. It’s 8 am to 6 or 7 pm these days. And sometimes, weekends. By the time you fight traffic, get home and nuke the TV dinner, you’ve got time for one sit-com and it’s off to bed so you can rise and shine at 6:30 and beat the early morning traffic to work. Working part time, on the other hand, gives you the freedom to arrive and leave during off traffic hours, which saves gas, nerves and time. You also have more time for your kids, spouse, errands, appointments and just plain relaxing. 

Full-Time Perks Aren’t What They Used to Be

Companies are cutting back on benefits for full timers. You pay a lot more for medical insurance, expense accounts are down, 401Ks are losing money to inflation, and paid sick days and holidays are fewer these days. Even job security is in jeopardy with layoffs looming around every quarterly report. In this economy, you jettison either perks or people. Besides, as a part timer, you may still be able to receive partial unemployment benefits. And under the new Health Care Law, health benefits will still be offered to part timers. In a recent Economix article, economics professor Casey B. Mulligan, author of “The Redistribution Recession: How Labor Market Distortions Contracted the Economy“ notes that the Affordable Care Act would almost entirely eliminate the reduced medical benefits of part-time employment by offering access to generously subsidized health insurance to part-time employees while denying it to most people who work full time.

Humans Weren’t Meant to Work 10-Hour Days

Keeping your energy level up for 10 hours with just an hour (in some cases, half an hour) lunch break is hard to do for most people. So you ruin your health with too much coffee. Or Rock Star or Black Mamba energy drinks that send your brain into turbo mode for a few hours only to come crashing down when the boss shows up at 5 pm asking you to bring him or her up to speed on your progress. Really? By then, you’re ready for a long nap.

You Can Network, Train

There are a ton of networking events that take place during business hours. Events you can insert yourself into to connect with colleagues, business associates and HR managers who may be looking for part time or freelance help. Land enough of these and you could offset the limited earnings of a part-time gig. As a part timer, you can also take advantage of on-site and off-site training classes and seminars your company and others are offering. Full timers are generally too busy and usually must sacrifice weekends or after hours to attend these events/classes.

Should you work part time? Depends on your financial situation. If you don’t have a mortgage, big debt or family to support, it may be an option until the economy picks up.

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