At exactly the time in life that you are an established researcher, it is likely that you will also be juggling childcare, eldercare and other caring responsibilities, alongside one of the busiest periods in your professional life. You may also have many other reasons to want to work flexibly or part time. Even if you are not navigating these things yourself, it is possible that you will be managing people in your team who are. 
 
The Academic’s Success Guide has a section on managing flexible working and caring responsibilities that shares reflections from researchers on managing life and work, and advice from Kirstie Sneyd, an organisational psychologist and parent coach who specialises in supporting people to work flexibly and to manage work alongside family and caring responsibilities. In the guide you will find:

• Clear reassurance that flexible or part-time working does not mean lower standards or reduced impact, with explicit challenge to the assumption that long hours equal commitment or excellence.
• Practical guidance on making flexible working workable in reality, including being explicit about priorities, setting realistic expectations, and designing arrangements that work for both you and your collaborators.
• Straightforward advice on handling scepticism and unspoken assumptions, including how to respond to colleagues’ perceptions and navigate cultures where flexible working is still unevenly understood.
• Simple, concrete boundary-setting practices such as clearly communicating working patterns, managing email expectations, and modelling behaviours that protect focus and sustainability.
• Acknowledgement of the emotional side of flexible working, including confidence, guilt, and assertiveness, alongside reflections and resources from other academics facing similar pressures.

“Balancing academia and family life is possible, but it requires thought. Autonomy and flexibility are real advantages if you use them deliberately. I took Wednesday afternoons off when my child was in nursery so we could spend time together. I have tried to be present for concerts, exams and important moments. It means catching up at other times, but that flexibility matters Family, health and being a whole person matter more than lines on a CV.”

Read more from this career story.