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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: kristof on January 12, 2017, 10:18:25 AM

Title: Salary for half time job
Post by: kristof on January 12, 2017, 10:18:25 AM
I work as a software developer in a salaried 20 hours / week position (plus techincally on call 24/7 for urgent issues, which almost never happen) with full benefits. I have a good sense of the market salary for a full time job in this position. I don't know too many people working salaried part-time, though, so I don't have a good gauge on what I should be asking. My gut feeling is it's roughly half of the full time salary (if we consider the benefits and the on-call to cancel each other out).

Does anyone work in an arrangement like this? If yes, how did you and your employer figure out a rate that made sense to both parties?
Title: Re: Salary for half time job
Post by: AZDude on January 12, 2017, 10:44:35 AM
Seems like you might be better off getting paid hourly. That way conflicts over how much time you are needed do not come up.

Anyway, pro-rated from full time salary seems appropriate.
Title: Re: Salary for half time job
Post by: momcpa on January 12, 2017, 01:35:05 PM
I have worked full-time salaried for 20+ years at my current employer.  Over the past year I decided that I wanted to go part time.  I spent a lot of time on this MM community reading, asking LOTS of questions, and reviewing my particular numbers.  I read a couple books about how to present my offer. I read internet articles about HR policies/practices, about negotiating, etc. I ended up presenting the owner with a proposition to:

1)Go part-time (2 - 3 days/week)
2) Be paid hourly (I spent QUITE a bit of time working, and reworking calculations based on scenarios both inside and outside our company that I could defend). 
3) Get the same vacation time as the full-timers have in return for being 'on-call' when not in the office.

I had a couple things going for me:  the owner values me as an employee, and respects my ethics.  I have a track record spanning 20+ years as being dependable and true to my word.

My proposal was NEVER questioned.  The owner signed off without batting an eye.
I start part-time on February 1st.  Can't wait.

Now if they would get someone hired for me to train everything would be perfect.  Therein lies the glitch........they don't have someone lined up to pick up the balance of the workload.  I'm okay with that initially, as the hourly rate they agreed to should make for a few really nice paychecks at full-time hours.  But after a while, I really do want to be only a part-timer.

Good luck in your decision/situation.
Title: Re: Salary for half time job
Post by: seattlecyclone on January 12, 2017, 02:07:35 PM
I switched from full-time to part-time last year. My employer just pro-rates the salary while keeping you on full benefits as long as you're at least half time. Seems like somewhat of a bad deal for them paying the full benefit cost without getting a corresponding discount on the salary, but I'll take it!
Title: Re: Salary for half time job
Post by: bacchi on January 12, 2017, 02:19:03 PM
My employer proposed 30 hours over 4 days at a 75% salary. Sounds pretty good, right? Like seattlecyclone mentioned, they end up paying full benefits and my salary is simply pro-rated.

Given the project history, those 30 hours would morph into extra hours when deadline time approached. I'd then be working 40+ hours for only 75% pay.

I countered with an hourly rate as an IC, giving me the opportunity to WFH when I wanted (the company frowned on telecommuting).
Title: Re: Salary for half time job
Post by: momcpa on January 12, 2017, 03:07:57 PM
My explanation for asking for an hourly rate versus a % of salary.......I told the owner that it would be MORE fair to the business if the situation was that my new co-worker/replacement caught on quickly and I wasn't needed so much.  The company would be paying me less money by only paying for the hours I was needed.  And the flip side of that coin was that it would be MORE fair to me if that same co-worker/replacement had trouble catching on or keeping up.  I would be getting paid for the actual hours I was needed to work.

The summary is that I felt hourly would be more fair all the way around.  (Plus I felt they would procrastinate getting my replacement, and I really wanted to be paid for the hours I would need to put in!!)
Title: Re: Salary for half time job
Post by: MayDay on January 12, 2017, 07:02:13 PM
I'm half time as an engineer.  My current company is tiny- almost no benefits, no hr, etc. I am 50% time, get 50% of a full time salary, and am not on call, but I make myself available for stuff when possible. I don't work any specific days/times, I set my own schedule. 

When I was 60% at a big company, it was 3 set days a week, 60% of full time salary, and I paid a bit more for health insurance. That was more of a set schedule, and I didn't usually have to call in to anything on off days.