Did you know that 60 percent of working moms wish they could work only part-time, but only about a quarter actually do?  That’s from a Pew Research Center study in 2007.  And it means that well more than a third of all working mothers are at least somewhat dissatisfied with their work situation.  That makes for a huge number, given that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that about three-quarters of all women ages 25-54 are in the labor force.

So why don’t more working moms go for part-time work?  It’s just not that easy to find good part-time jobs.

“This 9-5, five days a week model is really based on the industrial age,” says Laurie Young, co-founder of Flexible Resources, a staffing and consulting firm serving the Tri-State Region that specializes in placing professionals in flexible, or part-time, positions.  ”And it doesn’t make sense in today’s global economy where we have technology.  But it’s still a very hard thing to get it out there.  We still have to tell companies why this makes sense.  It’s just not as prevalent as we believe it should be.”

Young says when she and business partner Nadine Mockler first started Flexible Resources 23 years ago, they thought it would be a “mommy company” placing former stay-at-home moms with professional experience in challenging part-time positions.  Since then, their candidate pool has expanded to include retirees, former full-timers who want to ratchet back, authors who need to earn some money while writing, and even actors.

“The benefit of our service is our talent,” says Young, “because it allows companies to have access to a pool of talent that they wouldn’t have if they only looked at the full-time talent pool.”

Young believes that while she still has to convince some companies that part-time is a win-win for everyone, more businesses will eventually come around to accepting part-time options for their employees.

“There’s no question in my mind that it’s going to happen,” she says, “because it just makes too much sense not to.”

. You get a broader range of talent and expertise on your budget

. You get a professional committed to a flexible part-time position, instead of hiring a person who is seeking a fulltime job who will quit when one comes along

. You get a professional who will grow with your business, a very loyal employee who is fully engaged in their work because it perfectly suites their need for work-life balance.

Just last week we placed a high-level financial analyst at an energy conservation company. The CEO asked us to find him a professional who would work initially for 15 hours a week, who had the ability to look at raw data and create a spreadsheet and a comprehensive report, but who was more than a number-cruncher. They wanted a seasoned pro who could also negotiate contracts and could do high-level research. Why turn to us? Because we have the ‘undiscovered’ pool of talented pros who are seeking part-time and all types of flexible work arrangements at the professional level.    Hiring a person who is seeking a full-time job doesn’t work because they will leave when  full-time job comes along. Instead, we encourage companies, particularly small businesses, to consider hiring one of our flexible professionals where you get the commitment, productivity, focus, and high level of motivation from a professional who is seeking this type of arrangement.

Today’s Back to Work Moms tips are all about finding flexible work arrangements for moms who want to head back to the work place. This story is part of a new series of interviews with moms whose stories can inspire. This series includes tips and intervews with human resources experts, resume experts, and successful moms with stories that inspire as well as taking a look at resources to help moms looking to dip their toes back in the workplace water or jump right back in. It’s for stay at home moms, work at home moms, moms who work part time and moms that have gone back to work full time.

Laurie Young and Nadine Mockler launched Flexible Resources 23 years ago to help moms find/create flexible work arranagements at all types of companies. I asked them to share their advice for moms who come to them looking to return to the workforce, who also seek a position with flexible work arrangements, after having been out of the workforce for some time.

• Don’t overlook the ‘work’ you have done while out of work — that includes organizing your kids’ activities, any and all volunteer work that may have involved putting together events, fundraising, organizing, and booking all types of arrangements, and which often involves maintaining budgets — all that should go on your resume.
• The greatest challenge in returning to work is, as always, balancing career and family, and a flexible job is the best way to manage both.  Work out an arrangement in advance with your manager that ensures all your work will get done on time, whether or not you are in the office.  Arrange to attend meetings, and for regular calls to assess how the work is progressing.
• The greatest challenge to getting your foot in the door — businesses always say to us: “We can’t give someone a flexible work arrangement because everyone will want it.”  To that we respond, “But only flexible work arrangements will open you up to a previously ‘undiscovered’ source of talent: MBA Moms who can provide exaclty the type of expertise you require, who can get the job done with little or no training, can step right in and get to work ,because you are dealing with a high level of talent who is willing to work within your tight budget, because they value time over money. That is nearly always what seals the deal — the business gets higher caliber talent for the money.
• For women who have been out of the workforce for a long period of time, say five years or more, we recommend staying current with your industry by reading everything you can, and taking courses to advance your skills. This will impress the hiring manager. They want to know you are motivated to keep up with what is going on. Most important, you need to research their business before the interview, so you understand all the key issues the company is dealing with today.
• The best way to obtain a flexible work schedule is to focus on how it will help the business — they do NOT recommend saying “I need to work part-time because I have kids.” Businesses don’t care. Focus instead on how much more productive you will be when you don’t have to commute several hours a day; when you are evaluated on results; when you stick to deadlines and keep in touch with colleagues as necessary.
• Telecommuting also is a g reat cost-savings for small businesses, who don’t have to keep acquiring larger office space with each new hire. But Nadine and Laurie always advice telecommuters that working from home is no substitute for a baby-sitter. You will likely need childcare so you can work uninterrupted.
• As for advice to kids when mom goes back to work — we recommend staying positive — helping kids to understand that work is good, work is what adults do, work is how you show how smart you are, and work is what helps to create your good family life. Don’t let the kids see that you are doing only because you have to.
• For those moms who return to work in full-time traditional jobs, we recommend first setting up air-tight childcare arrangements, and being frank about your family during the interview.  Any company that wants to pretend families don’t exist is likely not to produce happy, successful employees.
• For moms who are returning to the workplace, they try to get them to focus on how this makes you a better mom because you are fulfilled outside the home, can better support your family, and it can help make your kids more independent. And make sure the time you do spend with th

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Flexible work arrangements are the key to helping small businesses survive, and aging boomers, both highly educated, skilled, and experienced, offer tremendous value at lower overhead. In fact, they are most cost-effective than hiring younger workers full-time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcie-pittcatsouphes-phd/as-skilled-workforce-ages_b_756138.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-m-wing/workplace-flexibility-ens_b_774753.html