Absolutely. 25+ years programming experience here. I am surprised that more companies doesn’t offer this. It is a huge recruitment advantage.
Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
101–110 of 127 posts
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#102If the thought is you work fewer hours so now I can cut your pay, then I think realistic the answer is hell no. Unless I'm already checked out from stock options or something, a senior engineer's pay is more related to their knowledge than for their time. A senior engineer can save you way more money just by keeping you from doing things than you'll make from a more junior dev working more hours in their place. I'd bet for most senior programmers, if you just cut their meetings out of the equation, you're going to find out they are already working part time.
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#103Absolutely.
Lately I’ve been thinking about what it would be to work every other week.
Half of the year, getting full weeks of just living life. Amazing. The plus side for the employer is that you get a full week of my attention on a very reliable schedule. This would be the pinnacle of work life balance for me.
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#104Some days ago there was an HN thread with devs complaining about no option for part-time... So the answer is yes!
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#105Yes, My last Job was part time about 30hs a week, I had every friday off, I was more productive than ever. I'm a Ic with 15 years of experience in the industry
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#106Senior dev here - switched to working 4 days in 2019 and my life has been much better for it.
The tricky part has never been finding an employer that is ok with me working 4 days, but being strict with them to not expect 5 days of work from me in 4 days.
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#107100% yes. I have a friend who averages about 3 hours a day of work (which is less than I'd personally prefer) and his productivity and flexibility is exactly what I'm looking for.
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#108[deleted]
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#109This sounds like the XY Problem[1]. Why do you want a senior engineer, that isn't a contractor, but doesn't work as much? What country are you in? Do you want to pay this employee an hourly rate? Why do you think a contractor could only be scoped to one project? Why is this described as a "guru" role? Are you sure you aren't looking for a "consultant" instead?
[1] - https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-x...
Re: Would senior engineers be interested in working reduced hours or part time?
#110Yes, I would like to work 3/5 days and would take the corresponding pay cut
I negotiated one of my previous roles to 3 days a week after I told them I was leaving. I managed about 5 months of this setup but the disconnect between myself and other employees was obvious. The lack of face to face time means that you need to work on small isolated projects to remain productive. Otherwise it's difficult to keep up to date with the various moving parts in the product.
Thanks for sharing your experience