A survey by the Families and Work Institute found that 18% of workers said they would prefer to work part-time and 44% said that their employers wouldn't allow it. However, part-time workers often find their paychecks have shrunk but the demands of the workplace remain the same. Some find themselves victims of "schedule creep," having to work more hours for less pay while many others are sidetracked in their careers, with the assumption that they are not as dedicated as full-timers. Some law and accounting firms are pioneering new methods to make part-time work more palatable for employees and employers. Their findings could make part-time work a more attractive option for employers and employees going forward.

When McNees Wallace & Nurrick, a law firm in Harrisburg, PA lost six female lawyers in one year, they suspected that their lack of flexible schedules was contributing to the departure of good people and costing the firm money. Their solution was to offer lawyers who had at least two years with the firm the opportunity to go to a part-time schedule: three-fourths pay for two-thirds work hours. Because the working lawyers are making money for the firm, and not quitting, the firm gains. The part-timers also progress on the same track for partnership with full-timers. As a result of the program, the quit rate of female lawyers has plunged.

Some accounting firms are hiring "flexible work arrangements coordinators" to monitor the welfare of their part-timers. Accounting and law firms make good testing grounds for these programs because nearly half of law school graduates, and more than half of college accounting graduates are women, who tend to want flexible schedules after having children. Part-time schedules are also attractive to fathers who would like to spend more time with their children. The lesson is that part-time schedules can be beneficial for everyone involved, when part-timers are treated fairly and given a chance to succeed.