Flexible working : Working patterns

What flexible working pattern suits you will depend on what kind of work you want to do and what is available. It will also depend on your own values, skills and preferences. The Windmills  website offers a number of interactive tools to help you identify what is important to you.

If you are already in employment and are thinking about requesting flexible working you may find Flexible Working: Choosing a Working Pattern  on the Directgov website useful.

Consider whether these working patterns would suit you:

Job-share

Job-sharing is a type of part-time work where one job is split between two (or occasionally more) part-time workers. The responsibilities, pay and hours are divided up, although the exact way that they are split depends on everyone’s circumstances - common ways of splitting are to work split days, split weeks or alternate weeks.

The success of a job-sharing arrangement relies on job-share partners having compatible personalities and a high degree of trust. Arrangements also need to be in place to cover the handover of work and communication.

When advertised, some posts state whether or not they are suitable for job-share. In addition, job-sharing may be an option if you want to reduce your hours at work because employers will sometimes consider advertising an additional part-time post to make up your hours. 

Portfolio workers

The term portfolio worker traditionally refers to someone who works on a freelance basis on a number of different projects for a number of different clients. This kind of work may be common for art and design graduates in the early part of their careers as they build up a portfolio of experience, and it is also a common pattern for freelance consultants.

The original concept of portfolio working has recently expanded to cover the phenomenon of ‘portfolio careers’. This includes individuals who may be employed either part time or full time but alongside this, balance other paid jobs, freelance work or self-employment.

Portfolio working can provide a high level of variety, challenge and autonomy, however the challenges of balancing multiple projects also demands excellent time-management and organisational skills. Working with multiple organisations in a similar professional area can also prove challenging in terms of managing business relationships and maintaining confidentiality around commercially sensitive information. Contracts will sometimes state that working for competitors is not permitted.

Fixed-term contracts

Unlike permanent contracts, fixed-term contracts specify an end date to the employment. Fixed-term contracts are more common in public sector employment and in specialist settings where an employee may be taken on only for the duration of a project.

Fixed-term contracts may be used by an employer to assess an individual’s suitability for employment before offering a permanent contract. They can also be an opportunity for an employee to try out different kinds of work and some people progress through a number of temporary contracts as a way of building up experience.

There is evidence to suggest that younger workers are more likely to be employed on temporary contracts and some graduates may find that temporary contracts could offer a practical step into full-time work, for example through the use of a graduate internship, which is a particular kind of fixed-term work.

Freelancing

Freelancing is a particular kind of self-employment which involves providing professional services to a company but without being employed by them. Freelance work is most common in creative industries and is particularly associated with areas such as journalism, publishing, graphic design and event management.

Freelance work is often accompanied by a specific brief for the project. Pay may be on an hourly rate or per project and may be paid upfront, on delivery or may be split across the duration of a project. 

Agency work

Agency work is also known as temping. It involves going ‘on the books’ of an agency which calls on you when employers have need of temporary cover. Agencies may specialise in one kind of work or deal with a wide range of employment. Agency workers have a contract with the agency rather than the employer they work for, and they are paid by the agency.

The work you do can ranges from a few hours to a few weeks, and it can be a way of building up a lot of experience quickly. Agency work is very flexible and you can accept or reject work that is offered. An employer is also able to end your work without being liable for redundancy pay. Agency work can lead to permanent work in some cases.

Downshifting

Downshifting is where an employee moves away from a job that is high in status, responsibility or reward, to one that has less of these rewards. It normally refers to a whole lifestyle shift away from materialistic culture and is often associated with moving from cities to rural areas.

To be able to downshift you would normally already hold a senior position. Therefore this kind of work is most characteristic in the later stages of a career rather than for new graduates. However, although new graduates may not ‘downshift’ as such, some may make similar choices in terms of prioritising location or quality of life rather than pay or status in their career. Deciding what is important to you is vital if you are going to choose this kind of route, and you may find the Windmills  resources helpful in this respect. 

Career break

Career breaks are extended periods of leave which are agreed between an employer and an employee and are normally unpaid. They are commonly used to allow an employee to take time off to care for children or other members of their family. Granting a career break can be an attractive option for an employer as a way of avoiding losing trained and experienced staff.

Sabbaticals are a particular kind of career break that can be offered by employers to reward employees for long service. Sabbaticals may be offered for a set period of time (often up to one year) and can normally be used for any purpose an employee wants, such as travel, volunteering, study or pursuit of a hobby.

Maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave

Childcare is one of the main reasons why people adopt a flexible working pattern. As an employee you have certain statutory rights to maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave, for further details refer to the section on your legal rights. On top of your statutory rights, many employers will offer more generous schemes.

Study leave

Study leave is time off to study a professional course, possibly resulting in a qualification, which may be paid or unpaid. Study leave is most commonly offered by employers where there is a professional requirement to undertake training or undergo regular continuous professional development. If you have been working for an organisation of over 250 employees for at least 26 weeks, you have the right to ask for time off to complete training that would help you in your work. Your employer must consider your request but does not have to grant it.

Further information is available from the CItizens Advice Bureau - Your rights at work  website.

Secondment

A secondment is a temporary move to another organisation or department. Secondments usually last for up to a year and involve working on a specific project or in a temporary post. Some temporary posts are advertised as suitable for secondments. You may wish to consider a secondment if you would like to develop additional experience in a different environment or try using different skills. In some companies secondments are offered as part of staff development programmes. Your salary, annual leave and other benefits normally stay unchanged after negotiations between the two organisations or departments.