Imagine a role that allows you to balance work and personal life effortlessly - and if not effortlessly, then definitely less effortfully. Over the past 15 years of my career, I’ve watched employment trends shift and morph, reflecting the ever-changing needs and desires of the workforce. Today, a significant change is afoot, especially for those of us in the second half of our careers. The traditional full-time job, with its rigid schedules and relentless demands, is fast becoming a relic of the past. Welcome to the age of fractional work, where flexibility is not just a perk but the new gold standard.
Midlife: The great reassessment
Midlife presents us with an opportunity to hit pause and take stock. After years of climbing corporate ladders and chasing elusive promotions, many of us start craving something deeper. We want fulfillment without the grind of a 9-to-5 routine. We want more say in determining our schedule so we can spend more time doing the things we love. Fractional roles can check those boxes and feel like a breath of fresh air. They allow you to invest your time and skills across multiple projects or roles.
The value of flexibility
Flexibility has long been a career buzzword. But it's become the cornerstone of today's job market. For those of us in midlife, this translates to balancing professional ambitions with personal passions and family time. It could look like enjoying that midday round of golf, or attending your kid’s soccer game at 3 PM on a Tuesday without a trace of guilt. That’s the magic of fractional work.
Flexibility has long been a career buzzword. But it's become the cornerstone of today's job market.
Midlife professionals are gravitating toward a fractional work model because it’s all about autonomy. You pick the projects that excite you, you collaborate with diverse teams, and you still have room to breathe and live your life. It’s about creating a work-life harmony that keeps you motivated and satisfied. For midlife pros, flexibility can mean pursuing varied interests, spending time with family, caring for aging parents, and staying healthy.
Why organizations love it too
It’s not just professionals who are thrilled about fractional roles—companies are getting on board too. A team that’s happy with their work-life balance has lower stress and higher job satisfaction, which means they stick around and work hard. According to the Harvard Business Review, companies offering flexible work see a 55% increase in productivity and a 50% reduction in employee turnover. The International Workplace Group found that 80% of employees feel flexible working improves their work-life balance, and 85% of businesses see productivity gains from it.
According to the Harvard Business Review, companies offering flexible work see a 55% increase in productivity and a 50% reduction in employee turnover.
With fractional work, companies can also get top-notch talent without the hefty price tag of full-time salaries and benefits. This setup is a boon for startups and small businesses that need expert advice but can’t afford full-time executives.
Think about a tech startup that needs a CFO but lacks the budget for a full-time role. They can hire a fractional CFO who brings all the expertise, works a few days a week, and delivers the strategic insight they need. Win-win.
Weighing the costs and benefits of the gig economy
The rise of the gig economy has paved the way for fractional roles. More professionals are finding this model aligns better with their lifestyle and aspirations. McKinsey reports that 20-30% of the working-age population in the United States and the European Union are engaged in some form of independent contract-based work, and the trend is growing.
Along with the many benefits of contract and fractional work, there are also trade-offs. While offering flexibility, freedom and variety, they don’t typically offer health and dental benefits, retirement contributions, paid vacation or income security. Any or all of those may feel particularly important in midlife. It’s also up to you to build and nurture a portfolio of projects and relationships instead of relying on a single employer and steady income. That can be a huge benefit for some while presenting a tremendous stressor for others. For anyone, it requires a strategic approach and a willingness to embrace uncertainty.
“But while we have no control over time itself, we do have a choice in how we orient to it, how we inhabit the moment, how we own the past and open to the future - a choice that shapes our entire experience of life, that ossuary of time. And just as it bears remembering that there are infinitely many kinds of beautiful lives, it bears remembering that there are infinitely many ways of being in time.” - Maria Popova, The Marginalian
Change of environment
I put on my ski gear, and pull my boot bag up on my back. Covered head to toe, I step outside. My skis are perched on my left shoulder, and my poles are in my right hand. I walk carefully down the snowy path and up through the village to the lift. It’s a sacred ten minutes of meditative rhythmic walking to warm me up for the day ahead.
New snow has fallen – about twenty centimetres. The snow cats have groomed the mountain during the night. It’s early and I'll be on the first lift up to the slopes.
This is the change of environment I crave the most at this time in my life. The movement from posed stability to energetic vulnerability, from the familiar to the serendipitous unknown, from the routine to the spontaneous. Here on the mountain I feel like I live life to its fullest. I feel more alive here than anywhere else. Curiosity is my catalyst — I could rest today, I could contemplate other days gone by, but I'm curious: What will the snow be like? What will my balance and form be like? What shapes of clouds will appear? What breeze will freeze my nose? Where will the trail take me? It is ski season; adventurous, mysterious and invigorating. It provides another form of lifestyle filled with the sort of vulnerability I love.
Of course everyone knows that change is constant, but there is nowhere else in the world where I see, feel, hear, touch and taste this truth more clearly than here on the side of my favourite mountain.
This magic mountain that I've skied for years and years changes all the time. It's ironic really, as it is made of stone and rock, ice and dirt - elements so strong and stable, so unmoving and unbudgeable, so unforgiving and invincible, yet it is forever changing. Of course everyone knows that change is constant, but there is nowhere else in the world where I see, feel, hear, touch and taste this truth more clearly than here on the side of my favourite mountain. Such a curious phenomenon — this alpine environment that moves and changes constantly, just like me. The weather forecast looks good today, colder than yesterday, but mostly sunny in the morning with the wind rising in the afternoon. Of course, this could change too.
Letting change flow
Arriving at the base of the mountain, I put on my ski boots, tuck my shoes away for the day, and once again perch my skis on my shoulder. I use my poles to help me navigate the steps up to the gates; it’s the beginning of the season and this morning routine of getting to the lifts still has me feeling a bit winded as I get used to the altitude. My friend is waiting for me. She and I smile brightly at each other and, seconds later, the buzzer goes off and the gates are activated. We are the first ones through, proud of ourselves for our early rising and excited to experience the thrill of another ski day together. We banter about the beautiful day ahead, our slight aches and pains and need for some stretching.
My friend is confident and bold — an expert skier. Me, I am not as confident and I am no expert. But I am bold, and she inspires me. Most of all, I am grateful for the change of scenery, communing with nature and the joy of being together again on the mountain.
Tensing up in anticipation of a coming bump or turn will surely cause a fall. The key to serenity on skis is letting change flow, becoming one with the change, and then being the change.
As we descend each run at our own pace, our skis pushing us beyond our unique comfort zones, we each experience individualized moments in the quiet rhythm of skiing. Every day on the slope is different, every turn of every carve into the snow is different, at times smooth and other times choppy. At all times, our minds must stay connected to our bodies. It is invigorating and mystifying, as we must disconnect from all worries and all other actions and stay absolutely present. Tensing up in anticipation of a coming bump or turn will surely cause a fall. The key to serenity on skis is letting change flow, becoming one with the change, and then being the change.
After a few hours of skiing our favourite trails, I tell my friend I want to stop at a lookout spot, not because I’m tired but because I want to breathe in my surroundings. She says she’ll let me have a bit of alone time and we decide she’ll do another run and meet me back here. The sky is vast and filled with a multitude of blue hues, the clouds are fantastical and bright white. The fresh cold air is thinner up here; it smells minty as it passes through my nostrils and it tastes minerally as it drips down my throat. The steam rises from my scarf as I breathe in and out, feeling the warmth of my body. This change of environment is essential to my well-being. It’s not just any change of environment though.
Chrono-diversity
It’s being up at altitude that thrills me most. The physicist Carlo Rovelli in his book “The Order of Time” captures the essence of my pause at the lookout spot. He writes,
“I stop and do nothing. Nothing happens. I am thinking about nothing. I listen to the passing of time. This is time, familiar and intimate. We are taken by it…. Our being is being in time.”
I lived and worked in this village just below the slopes for ten years, all through my thirties, and now that I am retired, I return here as much as possible. Initially when I moved away, down to sea level and no longer at altitude, it took me a long time to adjust and to adapt to being in a different time zone, but not just a different chronometric time zone, but a different “chrono-atmospheric” time zone.
I am fascinated by the way Rovelli explains how altitude changes time. He writes, “Let’s begin with a simple fact: time passes faster in the mountains than it does at sea level…
I am fascinated by the way Rovelli explains how altitude changes time. He writes, “Let’s begin with a simple fact: time passes faster in the mountains than it does at sea level… This slowing down can be detected between levels just a few centimetres apart: a clock placed on the floor runs a little more slowly than one on a table. It is not just the clocks that slow down: lower down, all processes are slower.”
When I read this, I started to understand and accept why I had found it so challenging to transition from life up on the mountain to life in the valley. All of my processes had to become slower; my mental and physical, even spiritual relationships towards time had to change in order for me to adapt and to adjust to my new surroundings. It was a very unnerving time at first, and I found myself longing to return to the mountains. Despite the fact that I enjoyed my new job, raising my children and making new friends in a different culture, my personal processes, like my coping mechanisms, had slowed down and I needed to give myself time to accept the newness of this “chrono-diversity” at sea level.
Some consider winter a time to slow down and rest, imitating elements of nature that hibernate and tuck in to escape the cold. But for me, it is this change of environment, this other way of being in time, this speeding up and expanding of time, that I long for in the winter months.
During those years, my friend stayed in the mountains; she never returned to life in the valley. And I believe this makes us different in the way we now measure time. Maybe her time does actually pass more quickly than mine? She is a speed queen and can get a million things done in one day. She thinks faster than I think, and certainly skis faster than I ski.
Some consider winter a time to slow down and rest, imitating elements of nature that hibernate and tuck in to escape the cold. But for me, it is this change of environment, this other way of being in time, this speeding up and expanding of time, that I long for in the winter months. It’s the rigour and rhythm of mountain time. Rovelli writes,
“Two friends separate, with one of them living in the plains and the other going to live in the mountains. They meet up again years later: the one who has stayed down has lived less, aged less, the mechanism of his cuckoo clock has oscillated fewer times. He has had less time to do things, his plants have grown less, his thoughts have had less time to unfold ... Lower down, there is simply less time than at altitude.”
I guess the proof is “in the physics.” As I’ve learned, it is the changeability of time in the mountains that keeps me skiing through life. Even if it seems a bit ironic and mysterious to me, I imagine I will always feel this type of change to be constant in my life. Though I suppose, that could change too.
With more employers moving in this direction, it’s important to consider what you want, need and value. What would the ideal balance look like for you between independence and stability? Consider all these factors as you consider whether fractional work is the right path for your future.
Making the transition
Thinking about transitioning to fractional work? Start by evaluating your skills and passions. What excites you? Where can you make a difference? Networking is key—use LinkedIn to connect with potential clients and projects. And remember, setting boundaries is crucial if you want to create a schedule that really works for you. Clear guidelines about your availability will help maintain that precious work-life balance.
Redefining success
The shift to fractional roles signals a broader change in how we view work and success, particularly for those in midlife. Flexibility is the new currency, and it’s time to embrace it. Fractional work offers a chance to stay professionally vibrant while enjoying a fuller, more balanced life.
Fractional work offers a chance to stay professionally vibrant while enjoying a fuller, more balanced life.
Adam Grant nails it when he says, “The best way to predict the future of work is to invent it.” Fractional work lets us do exactly that. The traditional 9-to-5, with its rigid structure, no longer fits the evolving needs of modern professionals, especially those in their midlife phase. This period, often marked by a desire for more meaningful and balanced living, aligns well with the principles of fractional work. By choosing fractional roles, professionals can redefine success—not by the hours clocked in a single job, but by the impact made across multiple ventures. This new work paradigm not only allows for professional growth but also personal fulfillment, paving the way for a richer, more diversified life experience.
Sources:
- McKinsey & Company. (2020). "The Future of Work: The Rise of the Gig Economy."
- Deloitte. (2018). "The Evolution of Work: New Realities Facing Today’s Leaders."
- LinkedIn. (2021). "Navigating the Gig Economy: Opportunities for Professionals in Midlife."
- Harvard Business Review. (2019). "The Future of Work: Flexible Work Is a Productivity Booster."
- International Workplace Group. (2019). "Global Workspace Survey: The Benefits of Flexible Working Arrangements."