Tips on Negotiating Reduced Work Hours
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I’ve always been in awe of one of my old friends, Y, who’s negotiated reduced work hours at numerous Big Law firms in a major market — and advanced while doing it. I reached out to her to ask for her top tips on negotiating reduced work hours and her own thoughts on the journey. Below, we present Part 1, Y’s thoughts on negotiating reduced work hours — you can find Part 2 here, where we look at her thoughts on being a successful part-time associate. Thank you so much, Y! – Kat
Working mothers can’t have it all. I truly believe that. Something’s gotta give, and when I had my first child I wondered what that would be — and how much. There are obviously many answers to that question — there is no “one-size-fits-all.” For me, the answer was asking for a flexible work arrangement at the BigLaw firm where I was a second-year associate, so that I could continue in my career while also having time to spend with my family.
I remember when I first negotiated for reduced work hours. I had been on maternity leave with my first child and knew right away that I could not possibly raise a tiny person and also work full-time (which in my job meant being on call 24/7). After contacting the powers that be at the firm about discussing a potential flexible work arrangement, I received a call from a partner, and the conversation was not nearly as scary as I thought it might be. That may also be because I went in with zero expectations, figuring that if the firm wouldn’t agree to a flexible working arrangement, I would walk. At that point in my life, working full time at an AmLaw 100 firm was not on the table for me.
By that time, I had done my homework and knew that some women were already working at the firm on an 80-percent basis. (Depending on their practice area and reason for working part time, they either worked reduced hours on a relatively regular schedule or committed to billing 80 percent of a full-time associate’s yearly billables, even if that meant working long hours on a deal one month and taking time off the next.) When I stated that I wanted to work four days a week and be home in the evenings with my baby, the partner agreed to offer me an 80-percent arrangement. He added that there were no guarantees with regard to the bonus but that the firm would aim to give me one that was prorated.
Having heard horror stories of women who officially worked part-time and were paid accordingly but billed just as much as a full-time associate, I asked what would happen if I ended up billing more than 80 percent of what a full-time associate would. Would I be reimbursed at the end of the year? The answer was no. While it didn’t seem equitable, it did incentivize me to stick to my reduced schedule rather than revert to my type-A personality and try to do it all (despite my cognitive recognition that, as a mother who wants to remain intimately involved in her child’s upbringing, I could not). “One last thing,” the partner said as we continued to talk. “I’m not saying that we’d definitely never make a part-time partner, but we most likely wouldn’t.” I just said “fine” — it was not even remotely on my radar at the time, let alone something that would have influenced my decision.
That started my long journey as an associate with a reduced work schedule.
Here are some tips I would offer to anyone thinking of requesting a similar part-time arrangement:
1) Do your homework. Find out what your company and peer companies have offered in the way of flexible work arrangements so that you don’t ask for something outside your company’s comfort zone.
2) Pinpoint your priorities as they relate to the flexible arrangement you’re seeking and determine what, if anything, is non-negotiable. For me, it was getting home to put my kids to bed most nights (even if that meant logging back on later) and spending time with them on the weekends.
3) Determine whether it makes sense for you to negotiate a commitment with regard to a bonus and/or career advancement. This will depend on how much these matter to you and whether you think what you’re asking for is realistic, considering the company and industry norms.
Ladies, have you considered negotiating for reduced work hours? What were your priorities, first steps, and more?
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Any investment banking / private equity type women that have successful negotiated reduce work hours? It seems work really well in law with the billables set up, but seems like it’d be challenging to replicate in finance? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
As an alternative to going part time –
I went from f/t litigation to a f/t government position – and it was as if I went down to a part time job, in comparison. Contrast 60 – 80 hours per week, working most holidays, travel 2-4 times a week, work all evenings and weekends to a 40-hour per week schedule, long lunch (enough time to work out, 1.5 hours) a few times per week, NO holidays or weekends ever and no side-eye when you take vacation or leave early to pick a toddler with pink eye.
I’ve been promoted twice in two years and have a good salary (especially when you figure it out on a per hour basis).
I have been part-time in BigLaw for five years, since I was a fourth year. I find that the biggest benefit for me is that I have no guilt/shame/hesitation in saying “no” or taking more vacation than I otherwise would. I come in every day (9:30-6, although I’m usually not billing the whole time) and I do work nights and weekends from time to time, but I don’t worry when I have to leave early for a doctor’s appointment or take Friday off.
A few additional comments:
1) I work in a small group, and when we’re busy, it’s very hard to say no. So from that standpoint, I find that it’s hard to stick my target if we’re busy/understaffed.
2) I get adjusted if I go over by 100 hours (5%). Last year I hit our target (1900+100 non-billable) and was adjusted all the way to full-time.
3) I am in a specialty group that primarily supports M&A. It’s good in some respects because I work very independently. I find that when I’m called into a bunch of meetings, my flexibility plummets. On the flip side, my practice is such that I could get asked to do something at any given moment of the day, which is a bit annoying.
3) When I went part-time (as a 4th year), the head of my group made some comment about partnership like “we’ll figure it out when we get there,” (which I totally discounted since partnership seemed inordinately far away). My group still intends to put me up within the range of my class (our partnership track is pretty fluid). Going part-time did ding my eligibility by a proportional amount (instead of being eligible as a 7th year, which never actually happens, I was formally eligible as an 8th year).
Would also love to see more content in this area outside of BigLaw. I am a prosecutor, really wishing for a reduced schedule. I don’t know that it is possible with my job, but if anyone has ideas I would love to hear them. I am a new mom to a 7 month old. When I read about BigLaw hours I feel grateful for a 8-5 schedule. I am on-call, but that is usually not an issue. I would ideally love to work only 4 days per week, when I am not in trial. Not sure what the rules are regarding what is considered “full time” with benefits, which I need to keep.
I’m working M-F 9-5 and not getting enough hours to hit the 60% benchmark I’m supposed to aim for (regional large law firm). I’m in a niche specialty and trying to build my own book, but in the mean time I feel like I’m getting a bad deal from the firm. I could probably make almost twice my salary at an in-house gig with hours similar to my current job. I’d have to leave behind the book I’m building if I went in house and that would be sad.
I’ve been trying to push the firm to recognize that they need this niche expertise, they usually need it on tight turnarounds (i.e., can’t staff me on large volume projects to fill the hours and still expect me to practice the niche), and they should really keep me as a salaried employee expert whose compensation isn’t tied to hours. Yes, that would be off the partner track until I can build up my own book sufficiently – I’m OK with that. Has anyone ever seen something like this in either an accounting firm or law firm setting?
I’m laughing because I just finished discussing my transition back to full-billables, after having a reduced billable requirement for a couple years. I’ve been working M-F 9-5, so I’ll have to spend a few more hours in office – but realistically, I’ll have to do more work at night after the kids go down.
I’m at a mid-size firm, and cannot be considered for partnership until I’m back to a full load.
This is me. I’ve been on a part time schedule as a BigLaw litigator for almost six years now. I have a few things to add:
1) Six years ago, when I asked to go part time, the firm was still figuring out how to manage this. Now, we have much better policies in place. For example, when I work more than my part-time commitment, I get compensated for the extra hours. Bonuses are also prorated in a fair way. My understanding is that many firms now have these policies and that they are industry standard.
2) I am a big believer that part time works only on a quarterly or annualized basis. I can’t guarantee that I’ll bill 30 instead of 40 hours every week, but I can pretty much guarantee that I’ll bill 1600 instead of 2000 hours per year. (Numbers are illustrative only.)
3) The most control you have as a part time litigator is in picking your cases at the outset. I do better when I am very involved in fewer cases, because then I have more control over the schedule and am more involved and do more interesting work.
4) Find your allies. There are other women and sometimes men on part time schedules at your firm. Find them and figure out how they make it work.
5) Be creative in your schedule. I found that it didn’t work for me to try to get home every day to put the kids to bed – I was losing valuable hours and work product. It turns out that I, personally, need that long stretch from 4-9 when the email slows down and I can really write or research. So I work late twice a week, but in exchange, I work from home one day a week and try not to work much at all on the weekends. It helps me maximize my productivity. Others will have different needs. Be creative and respect your own work process.
6) There’s a book called “I Know How She Does It.” I found it alternately aggravating and inspiring. The big message of the book is that there is enough time if you have enough control over your own schedule to be able to make it work for you. That’s what I felt like I got with a part time schedule – CONTROL. It gave me the ability to set up boundaries, the ability to say no to more work, and the ability to allocate my hours as worked best for me. Even though I often wanted to throw the book across the room, I’d still recommend it for anyone as a helpful thought exercise in how you structure your days.
“that we’d definitely never make a part-time partner, but we most likely wouldn’t.””
So did it indeed work this way? How did you still advance (as intimated in Kat’s intro)?
I’m in BigLaw and about to negotiate a reduced hours schedule. I’m returning from maternity leave with my second. I was full time (and then some) after my first, but it was way too much. My health, family and work all suffered.
Any suggestions for what schedule worked for you as a BigLaw litigator? We have a busy group so it typically feels a bit like you’re drowning on an average day. I have no idea how I’m going to manage to establish boundaries to keep any sort of balance.
This is a topic I’m really interested in as a new mom. I put in my time in BigLaw years ago, but have since worked as a legal aid attorney. I’d love to see a similar post or posts that address the nonprofit and government lawyering contexts. These tips are great, but they’re pretty specific to BigLaw. Thanks!