Traditional rules around the career ladder state that we only work an hourly job or part-time gig to gain enough experience to get a salaried, steady role in an office or some other “professional” setting. But recently, a shift has begun. Fed up with the office politics, lack of flexibility and stress of office life, millennial women are moving back to freelance gigging, or working in bars, cafes, gyms and shops.

The majority of the part-time workforce is made up of women, there’s been a rise in women becoming self-employed, and even night shifts have become more popular; there are 101,000 more women working at night than five years ago. It’s clear to see: more and more women are seeking alternative setups to the old-school 9-5, in-office five days a week style of working. 

And here’s the great thing: the women doing this don’t see the move as a regression or a failure. It’s a logical and practical move, as part of a more ’career lattice’ approach to work that prioritises a more positive work/life balance.

But what exactly is driving this change-up? Let’s break it down. 

Post-pandemic, there has been a definitive shift towards flexible working. Surprisingly, it turned out that a lot of us liked not having to spend time and money on expensive commutes and lunches. Who knew?

“The 9-5 working day was invented in 1867,” says Molly Johnson-Jones, an expert on flexible work and co-founder and CEO of flexible work platform, Flexa. “Today, unless you’re a farmer who is bound by daylight hours, or a trader who is tied to the opening and closing of the stock market, rigid working hours are often more of a hindrance than a help.

“The number of women aged between 25 and 40 who are using Flexa to find flexible employers has risen by almost 30% since the start of the year - and they are increasingly looking for flexible hours in particular.”

Remote working allowed a lot of us to be more flexible with our schedule, whether that meant taking full advantage of our lunch hour to do some yoga and cook a proper meal, or finishing work and rolling straight into our weekend plans. It can even support those with disabilities.

Johnson-Jones says: “Having a slow morning and getting some exercise in before starting work helps me manage my autoimmune condition and feel as energised as possible by the time I open up my laptop.”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have seen the rising statistics around stress and poor mental wellbeing in the workplace. Offices can be stressful environments for many of us. From toxic bosses to unmanageable expectations to uncomfortable colleagues, there are a lot of aspects that come into play.

Pippa has worked remotely in healthcare for five years and recently took up a part-time job at a climbing gym. “I’ve always struggled with office culture, whether it was the nonsensical early wake-ups just to spend hours commuting, thinking about what clothes I should wear, or small talk,” she tells Stylist. “Having two vastly different jobs has helped me acknowledge that I’m good at what I do and that I’ve actually got more to offer. My mental health has improved, and my overall stress levels have reduced by not putting so much pressure on my career.”

Sarah trained as a primary school teacher but has since taken up a remote part-time copywriting job for an agency. She shares: “I’d always had an extreme aversion to the word ‘no’, and had a habit of taking on all the work that was given to me even if I didn’t really have the capacity. Now I’m in charge of my own workload, my mental health has improved massively, and my flexible working pattern means I can really fit my work around my life, rather than the other way around.”

Imposter syndrome is a phrase that’s sadly in a lot of our workplace vocabularies. Sometimes our jobs have us feeling like we’re not good enough or that we don’t deserve to be there.

By taking on a less intense job role or improving our work-life balance so that our identity isn’t so intertwined with work, many people find that their imposter syndrome reduces almost immediately.

“Previously in my healthcare role, I used to get imposter syndrome all the time. You have this image of who you should be - older, more experienced, with all the answers,” says Pippa. “Having one job basically meant having all my eggs in one basket, so when the imposter syndrome hit it affected my self-esteem as a whole.”

The number of millennial women picking up second jobs or trying to learn new skills in their own time is only growing, due to the cost of living crisis. Part-time shift work and flexible working situations allow individuals to prioritise their time and actually develop professionally in new fields versus being locked into to a more “traditional”, linear, 9-5 career ladder.

Johnson-Jones explains, “For the huge numbers of millennials picking up side hustles to shore up their finances or pursue a passion, early morning shifts might free up time later in the day to dedicate to additional sources of income.

Pippa has definitely seen this in her day-to-day life. “Working from home means I can get my own life admin done when my work for the day is done. Without the extra office stress, I’ve got more to give, so I’m learning software development in my spare time. Now I balance both a professional career at home and a more fun and passion-based job in the evenings without feeling overworked. Since the cost of living has gone up it’s definitely helped relieve some financial stress too.”

The pandemic put a lot of things into perspective for the vast majority of us, and no place was this more clear than in the world of work. Mandatory remote working meant that a lot of us realised a new way of living and working, including finding better ways to balance the two.

With many people diverting from the social norm of office-based 9-5, what does the future look like without the traditional “career track” means of progression?

For Pippa, it’s more about getting that work-life balance that we all seem to crave. “We work for most of our lives and focus on nothing but progress, trying to earn more money to do more things outside of work. Personally, I value my freedom and time more right now. Right now I’d like to sustain a flexible remote working life, building up my skills in other fields I feel excited about, and who knows? Maybe I’ll be trying out 10 different career paths along the way.”

Sarah views the future in a similar way, “Working from home was a bit of an adjustment but it now suits me much more than working in an office ever did. I think success is often profession-oriented but ultimately, I think success boils down to being able to freely do what you love.”

Images: Getty