Family and a career? Have both thanks to a 40 percent part-time job

There's a great need these days to combine family and a career. The demand for family-friendly part-time models is rising among women as well as men. And AXA takes account of this demand with its Smart Working work model. Our Flexwork models offer our employees with children enormous flexibility when it comes to arranging  their working hours. These flexible working time arrangements are extremely beneficial, particularly when combining family and a career .

Portrait Mirjam Lavater

Mirjam works for us part-time. She has a 40 percent job, but still has a lot of time for her two school-age children, her family and the home. Despite having a small workload, she has a responsible job and is  open to new professional challenges. Combining family and a career is particularly important to her as a woman and mother. But one thing is clear for Mirjam: family comes first.

There are also exciting part-time jobs available

"After seven years working in Business Support, I applied for a new exciting job in Human Resources (HR) within the company. At the same time, I also began a training course in Human Resource Management. I've been working in my new job as an HR manager since 2021 and am a contact partner for job applicants in the Zurich region. I look after my own area and recruit new staff together with the line. My place of work also changed when I moved job, as I now work in Zurich-Oerlikon and at home. And I can only say that daring to take this step was the best decision. Move out of your comfort zone and have the courage to learn something new!", says Mirjam. The new job also means that she can combine her career and family life. As she can also work from home and doesn't have to commute, she has even more time for her family.

Small workload AND challenging duties

A 40 percent job enables Mirjam to be active in the world of work, yet still have time for her family life. But having a small workload doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have exciting duties. The HR manager adds: "A small workload is only possible thanks to job sharing and a fantastic team. I have full responsibility for my area. My customers and AXA employees know when I'm contactable and if it's urgent, they can always get a response from my colleagues in the team. My work is very exciting!"

Good organization and job sharing

To maintain an overview, Mirjam is very well organized - she has to be! "My team has duties in the same areas, so we can also stand in for each other to cover absences. After all, communication in the team is important, as is thinking", she says.

Mirjam is happy with her family and job model. And she's certain that "there are also exciting jobs in the company for women who want to work part-time. It's great that it's so easy to combine family and a career at AXA."