Family Friendly Work: Negotiating a More Flexible Work Schedule

A change in your work schedule may give you the flexibility you need to better meet the needs of your family. There are many variations of flexible work that you can pursue such as reduced hours, a shift in schedule or an opportunity to work some from home. Such a change could lead to less stress and more time for your family.

Unfortunately, not all companies have policies or practices in place to support working with flexibility. Further, even companies that do have accommodating policies and practices often give individual managers discretion in granting schedule change requests. Therefore, you must be prepared to ask for the schedule you want and overcome your manager’s objections.

The best approach to making a schedule change request is to do so with your company’s best interests in mind. Think about how your request could actually benefit your company. Could your altered schedule or work arrangement be a solution to a problem your company is facing?

For example, reducing your hours could help cut costs in a department facing budget constraints. Shifting your schedule so that you come in earlier or stay later than usual could allow your company to extend the hours that they provide service to customers. Working from home could help free up office space if you are in a growing company that has a shortage of space. Allowing someone else to take over some of your responsibilities could provide a developmental opportunity to a less experienced co-worker. These are just a few examples; many possibilities exist.

The key is to identify how your proposed work arrangement actually benefits the company. In addition to the fact that you will be more productive since you will be less stressed and more committed to the company (both of which you should point out in your proposal), you should also clearly illustrate for your boss that your schedule change is in the company’s best interest.

Once you’ve built the business case for flexibility, then you need to put your proposal in writing. A well-written proposal that spells out exactly how the arrangement will work, and how you will succeed in the arrangement should answer any concerns your boss may hold. Make sure you clearly spell out the arrangement you want, how you will get your work done, the benefits you’ve determined for the company, any changes in compensation or time-off benefits that will result, your contingency plans to handle unexpected changes in workloads, and also a recommended trial period.

A well-thought out proposal will receive more serious consideration than a desperate request for a change. If you are confident that your proposed arrangement will work, with some persistence, you can negotiate a work arrangement that allows you to better meet your family needs and de-stress your life (well, at least a little!).