Profession and passion in harmony

Eight years ago, Frank Zetzsche, Principal Consultant at Zühlke in Eschborn, decided to reduce his working hours to devote more of his life to his passion for yoga. One of the first to use the part-time model, he has also been able to inspire some colleagues and friends to think outside the box and take a closer look at their priorities.

When Frank reduced his working hours to 80%, there was one main reason: he wanted to concentrate more fully on his training as a yoga teacher. Frank has worked for Zühlke since 2004 and in 2012 he was one of the first to decide to work only four days a week - something he is still very happy about.

"I really appreciate being able to close my laptop on a Thursday evening."

"Having Friday free is now the norm after 8 years, but even so, I still value being able to close the laptop on Thursday evenings. The long weekend creates a certain distance between my job and my second mainstay, the yoga classes." It is only this distinct separation of both time and mental activity between his work with Zühlke and his job as a yoga teacher that enables him to combine both these areas in his life in an uncomplicated manner. Initially, he would not have suspected that he could also inspire colleagues and friends by deciding to reduce his hours. In the meantime, his partner has also decided to shorten her working week, and several other colleagues have followed suit.

He would always opt for the part-time model at Zühlke

A normal working day at Frank's starts with a one- to two-hour yoga session. In addition, the extended weekend also helps him to engage with full commitment and focus from Monday to Thursday, when he participates in appointments with the team and customers.

In the past few months, the Coronavirus has meant that Frank has been in the office or at the customer's premises only once a week on average. On top of his reduced working hours, this has left even less time for small talk or personal exchanges with his team – something he has missed a lot, especially during the complete lockdown. Even so, he can no longer imagine working full-time. "I haven't regretted working part-time and find it difficult to imagine reversing my decision. For me, Zühlke is a pioneer in terms of trusting its employees and I am very grateful that I can pursue my favourite pastime in the way I do."

The best of both worlds

The part-time model has enabled Frank to develop both personally and professionally in parallel with his work. In addition, his great passion for yoga also has a positive effect on his daily life at Zühlke: apart from increasing his general fitness, yoga also helps him to increase his awareness levels, boost his resilience to stress and maintain a healthy posture. This has positive effects not only on the physique, but also on the psyche, which can be influenced by body movement and conscious breathing. Frank has practised Iyengar Yoga, a form that is classified as Hatha Yoga, for several years. He considers his yoga community to be particularly valuable: friendly cooperation, empathy, patience and appreciation are lived out there, and they serve as a model for him in supporting these same values at Zühlke and in his wider professional environment.