There are many perks and benefits of a full-time job. It has greater security and helps you reach your professional goals.
Going from full-time to part-time will result in a pay cut, and you will have to work with reduced finances. However, convincing your employer could be hard because they might not want to reduce your work hours.
In that case, you have to write a convincing letter. It will help your employer understand your perspective and the reasons for doing so. You can tell them your reasons and how you will do your best to handle much of your responsibilities even after cutting back your work hours.
The purpose of writing a letter is that you are making a formal request to change from full-time to part-time. Moreover, you can also explain whether you are shifting to part-time only temporarily or whether this will be a permanent arrangement based on recent changes in your personal and professional life.
By writing a proper letter, you must convince your employer why changing to part-time suits you best.
Reasons You May Have to Change From Full-Time to Part-Time
The reasons you state in your letter about why you want to change from full-time to part-time can be crucial in convincing your employer. Here are some reasons.
- You are pursuing a course along with your job that will help you do better in your career later, and you need the extra time to study.
- You have added responsibilities at home- like looking after a sick parent or taking care of a child.
- You have developed a medical condition, so you cannot stress yourself through the day with excessive work.
- You want to pursue your passion, like traveling or starting your cooking channel and do not want to be a full-time employee anymore.
- Your shift timings are taking a toll on your physical or mental health, and you want to cut back on the hours to recuperate.
Steps to Write a Letter to Change From Full-Time to Part-Time
There are certain steps to follow when you write a letter asking to change from full-time to part-time. It will help you draft your letter better.
1. Introduction
The opening of your letter sets the stage. Introduce yourself by stating the current position you are working in. State the number of hours you work and what positive changes you have made in the company through your contribution.
However, do so politely and not in a way that portrays that your employer is supposed to grant your request because of your contributions.
Rather, do it so that you can talk about how much you will be cutting back on when you shift to part-time. Explain which portions of your current tasks you may or may not be able to do because of it.
2. Reason For The Change
In the next phase, talk about why you are requesting the change. State how long it is going to be. It could be because you are pursuing an online course or need time to recuperate from an illness. Or, you have to care for someone at home.
However, take care that your letter doesn’t sound too personal.
After stating the reason, you can state whether you will request the change for some months or if it will be more permanent. It will depend on the nature of your reason.
3. How You Plan to Compensate?
Most employers will only agree to your request to change from full-time to part-time if you explain how you plan to handle your tasks. It’s even more so when you give short notice for the change.
Hence, you should explain to your employer which portions of your responsibilities you will carry out without issues and how you plan to handle the rest.
Will you work on your time management? That way, you can do the same amount of work despite cutting back on the hours. That, too, without compromising on the quality of your work? Or will you request the employer to look for someone else to fill in the gaps that will be created once you start working part-time?
4. Knowing The Consequences
You can speak a little about how you know the consequences of shifting to part-time. It will make your employer understand that you are already aware of the repercussions of such a move and have thought through all the aspects before making the request.
5. Negotiation
You can state in your letter that you are open to negotiating the number of hours you will be working once you start working part-time.
It will tell your employer you are ready to talk and flexible in your approach. They would also appreciate it if you were mindful of the inconvenience this might cause them.
You can also state that you want to discuss your pay because that will reduce once you cut back on the hours. However, leave these details out of the letter and wait for an actual conversation so that you can put forward a more compelling argument.
6. Expressing Gratitude
You must also thank your employers for the incredible learning experience you acquired while working for them. And you can say you hope they will understand your situation and grant your request.
You can also request an in-person meeting to discuss the finer details and end by saying you hope to hear back from them soon.
Why Your Employer May Not Agree to The Change And What to Do About It?
One of the predominant reasons your employer may not agree to your request is that they do not want to lose you. If you cut back on your hours, they will have to find someone equally competent to fill in the gaps in work, which is bound to happen once you cut back. Hence, they may refuse your request altogether.
In that case, you may try to reason with them again. Or, you will have to consider quitting your job and looking for a new position with part-time openings.
While reasoning with your employer, tell them you are ready to help with the transition. You will train whoever comes to fill in your place to ensure they pick up from where you leave. Once your employer is convinced that the work won’t suffer, they may agree to your request.
Can You Go Back to Full-Time Position After Changing to Part-Time?
You should carefully consider your decision to change from a full-time to a part-time position because your employer might not allow you to return to working full-time again.
Hence, if you want to change to part-time temporarily, you should carefully discuss this with your employer. For example, you might only want to work part-time for the duration of your course or until a loved one is recovering. Then, you might revert to full-time again.
However, by this time, your employer might have made some changes to the organization. They may have hired someone else to fill in for you. So, it would be best if you discussed whether you could return to your full-time position again after some months or a year.
If you are changing to part-time permanently, you must also discuss the work you will do from now on and how you plan to manage it. After that, it will depend entirely on your employer whether they will grant your request or not or whether they will allow you to change to full-time again later.
Example of Changing From Full Time to Part Time
Here is a template for a letter to change from full-time to part-time. You can customize it according to your circumstances.
Subject: Changing work hours from full-time to part-time.
Respected Sir/ Madam,
I have worked as an Accounts Executive in the New Jersey branch office for the past twenty months in your reputed organization. This journey was very eventful, as it was my first job. I have learned quite a few things while working for you.
However, I have been thinking about my career goals, and recently, I have decided to join a diploma course in Advanced Accounting. Later, I also want to pursue a career as a Chartered Accountant.
I have a full-time job at your organization. I work 40 hours a week from Monday to Friday. However, once I join the course and devote time to self-study, I can only work 20 hours a week for you. Hence, I request that you change my full-time employment to part-time from June 2023.
Doing so means I will have to take a pay cut. However, this is important for me. I want to make this switch by looking at my future and ensuring I can work and study simultaneously without causing burnout. I would appreciate it if you grant my request.
I am also aware that it will cause some inconvenience. I am ready to help with the transition in any way I can. I will be able to handle all my current accounts that I am handling at present.
However, I would kindly request you hire someone for the weekend reports I have to prepare, as they require meticulous analysis, and I do not wash to rush and commit errors while preparing them. I will train the recruit so that you won’t have to face any issues regarding them.
I can discuss the rest of the details in person if you want. Let me know when I can meet you, and you can reach me with any other questions you have regarding my shift to a part-time mode for you. Thank you so much for your support.
Thank you and regards,
(Your name and contact details)
Conclusion
Not all companies have part-time positions, and you must remember this while making your request. You should always be open to your employer’s changes or requests.
The intricacies will depend on your condition, but most workplaces are becoming flexible nowadays, and the chances of your request being granted are very high. You have to make your request convincingly so your employer understands your needs. Once they understand your perspective, they will grant your request.
