Part-time work: policy, practice and resistance in a manufacturing organisation

In Australia, part-time work is seen as the key strategy for enabling employees, primarily women, to better balance work and care responsibilities. However, while almost half of all employed women work on a part-time basis, the take up of part-time work varies considerably across industries and organisations. In retail and hospitality, for example, a significant proportion of jobs are organised on a part-time (and casual) basis. In contrast, in industries like manufacturing, part-time work remains relatively rare even for female employees, with those seeking to reduce their hours of work often having to negotiate on an individual basis with their line supervisor. This article examines the issue of part-time work in a maledominated manufacturing organisation, ManuCo, where relatively few female employees work on a part-time basis. While blue collar employees have an award 'right' to part-time work after return from parental leave, uptake is highest among white collar workers who are dependent on managerial discretion to access part-time work. This article explores the reasons for this apparent paradox and reports on the development of a formal company-wide 'right-to request' part-time work policy. We explore the resistance, both overt and covert, to this initiative and the deeply embedded and gendered organisation of work and working-time that underpins it.