Can both co-exist? I’ve been in the field for over 10 years and have never seen anyone working part time at a architecture firm. Rightfully so it’s a demanding field with demanding clients and contractors. Im just at this crossroad in life where I need to be more available for the family and curious if there are others that have seen or have done part time hours in an architectural office.
curtkram
Apr 2, 19 10:13 pm
I worked with a lady for years that worked part time so she could be home when her kid got out of school
1likejam
Apr 3, 19 5:05 am
I have a friend who part time, she mainly from home, 3 days a week. but it seems very rare, at least here in the UK, to have that kind of arrangement, i've never heard of anyone else doing so
Witty Banter
Apr 3, 19 9:10 am
I've seen situations in which offices allowed for a week of 4 10 hour days. The firm I currently work for is pretty liberal with "flex time." I'm not sure it results in less hours (at least that isn't the intention) but quite a few parents use it to shift their schedules to accommodate picking up/dropping off from school etc.
Just do to client demands/schedules I have a hard time imagining how a part time architect would function as a member of a project team. Maybe on smaller projects that can be primarily handled by a single person?
Again to reflect on my own current experience I think the best fit for a part time employee would be more task based than an integral member of a project team.
Non Sequitur
Apr 3, 19 9:24 am
My office has 2 part-time. One is a very junior tech and the other (who recently moved on) was a 10+ year architect. It's much easier to have drafting/production staff on PT hours than project architects because the clients or construction process won't care that someone is away, they need their shit yesterday FFS.
I get to massage my hours as I need it to accommodate family things as long as I don't drop the ball on the projects. It's about accountability. Need to leave 3hrs early, then catch up within the next 2days so that deadlines don't suffer or other staff need to work OT.
eeayeeayo
Apr 3, 19 1:26 pm
It varies. Some offices don't like part-timers, or will only allow it once the person has been there full-time for some years. But other firms thrive on a collection of part-time staff. You should be able to find a job that works for you. It's just an issue of finding the right role, in the right firm, but it's not too unusual.
A few cautions: 1. Some firms love part-timers specifically because they can use it as a justification to provide lesser (or no) benefits. You should of course try to negotiate your pay to make up for whatever % of your health insurance they're not covering/vacation and sick days you don't get/ineligibility for their 401k/whatever. Also even during huge deadline crunches the part-timers rarely hit the number of hours to require overtime pay, even if they're junior enough and paid low enough that they're not exempt. 2. In a lot of firms the part-timers are the first targets when layoffs have to happen. Depends on the firm though. Some will keep them for last because they're cheaper (see #1). 3. School will be canceled or your babysitter will flake, and you'll end up with kids at work. Some of your coworkers may be less than thrilled, whether they tell you so to your face or not. Finding a firm with owners who are parents of young children may get you more flexibility and understanding - but even so, it's still a fair chance of becoming seen as a problem if your kids are frequently under your desk dropping legos while people are trying to work. 4. The biggest glitches I've seen with people who are part-time and have kids are because hours aren't always predictable. Job-site or client meetings can run long. Some roles on some projects require a lot of evening meetings and presentations. I recall a client calling to complain in one firm about a project manager who left a city council meeting at 10:00 PM when they still hadn't gotten to that client's project - he said her babysitter issues are not his problem and he expected the firm to re-assign the project to someone who could be at meetings at midnight. They did. 5. Some firms' occasional all-hands-on-deck deadline crunches really do mean all hands.
Wilma Buttfit
Apr 4, 19 10:00 am
I work part time for a firm as a contractor. I've known others to do the same thing. I work remotely too. It works fantastically. Look for a firm that has a proactive and organized (professional) approach and doesn't let contractors and clients dictate their work (the fighting fires/oh shit approach that is so popular yet totally the norm).
whistler
Apr 4, 19 12:43 pm
Everyone in my office only work four days a week and one works three. most work ten hour days to compensate but it permits everyone to have a healthy live work balance, well as best as I can assist with that as the employer, they have to do their part outside the office. It took a few years but after training my clients that certain staff aren't in on certain days it works pretty well.
randomised
Apr 17, 19 6:58 am
I very often come across email signatures in which people write they don't work on certain days, not only architects but also municipalities or governmental workers. I also don't work 5 days a week myself.
jrcoffin
Apr 16, 19 2:12 pm
Can anyone recommend any firms in the NYC area that hire part-timers? Or are similar to Whistler's 4 days a week model?
justavisual
Apr 17, 19 8:45 am
We have people working 3 and 4 days a week in the office (over 50%)...Europe is flexible. Perks
Can both co-exist? I’ve been in the field for over 10 years and have never seen anyone working part time at a architecture firm. Rightfully so it’s a demanding field with demanding clients and contractors. Im just at this crossroad in life where I need to be more available for the family and curious if there are others that have seen or have done part time hours in an architectural office.
I worked with a lady for years that worked part time so she could be home when her kid got out of school
I have a friend who part time, she mainly from home, 3 days a week. but it seems very rare, at least here in the UK, to have that kind of arrangement, i've never heard of anyone else doing so
I've seen situations in which offices allowed for a week of 4 10 hour days. The firm I currently work for is pretty liberal with "flex time." I'm not sure it results in less hours (at least that isn't the intention) but quite a few parents use it to shift their schedules to accommodate picking up/dropping off from school etc.
Just do to client demands/schedules I have a hard time imagining how a part time architect would function as a member of a project team. Maybe on smaller projects that can be primarily handled by a single person?
Again to reflect on my own current experience I think the best fit for a part time employee would be more task based than an integral member of a project team.
My office has 2 part-time. One is a very junior tech and the other (who recently moved on) was a 10+ year architect. It's much easier to have drafting/production staff on PT hours than project architects because the clients or construction process won't care that someone is away, they need their shit yesterday FFS.
I get to massage my hours as I need it to accommodate family things as long as I don't drop the ball on the projects. It's about accountability. Need to leave 3hrs early, then catch up within the next 2days so that deadlines don't suffer or other staff need to work OT.
It varies. Some offices don't like part-timers, or will only allow it once the person has been there full-time for some years. But other firms thrive on a collection of part-time staff. You should be able to find a job that works for you. It's just an issue of finding the right role, in the right firm, but it's not too unusual.
A few cautions:
1. Some firms love part-timers specifically because they can use it as a justification to provide lesser (or no) benefits. You should of course try to negotiate your pay to make up for whatever % of your health insurance they're not covering/vacation and sick days you don't get/ineligibility for their 401k/whatever. Also even during huge deadline crunches the part-timers rarely hit the number of hours to require overtime pay, even if they're junior enough and paid low enough that they're not exempt.
2. In a lot of firms the part-timers are the first targets when layoffs have to happen. Depends on the firm though. Some will keep them for last because they're cheaper (see #1).
3. School will be canceled or your babysitter will flake, and you'll end up with kids at work. Some of your coworkers may be less than thrilled, whether they tell you so to your face or not. Finding a firm with owners who are parents of young children may get you more flexibility and understanding - but even so, it's still a fair chance of becoming seen as a problem if your kids are frequently under your desk dropping legos while people are trying to work.
4. The biggest glitches I've seen with people who are part-time and have kids are because hours aren't always predictable. Job-site or client meetings can run long. Some roles on some projects require a lot of evening meetings and presentations. I recall a client calling to complain in one firm about a project manager who left a city council meeting at 10:00 PM when they still hadn't gotten to that client's project - he said her babysitter issues are not his problem and he expected the firm to re-assign the project to someone who could be at meetings at midnight. They did.
5. Some firms' occasional all-hands-on-deck deadline crunches really do mean all hands.
I work part time for a firm as a contractor. I've known others to do the same thing. I work remotely too. It works fantastically. Look for a firm that has a proactive and organized (professional) approach and doesn't let contractors and clients dictate their work (the fighting fires/oh shit approach that is so popular yet totally the norm).
Everyone in my office only work four days a week and one works three. most work ten hour days to compensate but it permits everyone to have a healthy live work balance, well as best as I can assist with that as the employer, they have to do their part outside the office. It took a few years but after training my clients that certain staff aren't in on certain days it works pretty well.
I very often come across email signatures in which people write they don't work on certain days, not only architects but also municipalities or governmental workers. I also don't work 5 days a week myself.
Can anyone recommend any firms in the NYC area that hire part-timers? Or are similar to Whistler's 4 days a week model?
We have people working 3 and 4 days a week in the office (over 50%)...Europe is flexible. Perks