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How to Ask for a Flexible Work Arrangement



How to Ask for a Flexible Work Arrangement
   

What flexible work arrangement would help you balance your work and family obligations? Or,are you starting your own business and trying to carve out a few more hours to work on the new venture? What would you like to do with your current role? Set some goals. Do some research. If you want to go part time, how will that impact your take home pay? Remember, there are variables other than paid hours that you need to consider. Will your dry cleaning bill go down? What will happen to your transportation costs? We have a great tool on our site that we have developed to help you determine what your current “Real” take home pay is and what it would be working an alternative work arrangement. Go to the Wage Comparisons tool to calculate some before and after wages. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Once you know what you are looking for, start putting together a presentation and formal written proposal (if you think you will need it).

Start by anticipating what the issues will be for your boss. Make a list and address each item in writing prior to the meeting. Be very specific. These items will become your proposal. I would not reference having children at home in the proposal. You can, however, talk about your desire to balance your rewarding career with your outside responsibilities.

Here are some topics to keep in mind when thinking about potential issues.

Purpose: retention, increased productivity, decreased burn-out, increased effectiveness

Schedule: Outline the days you plan to work from home and what hours and/or what your total schedule will be (full or part time). If job sharing, who will work what hours?

Communication: How will your co-workers and customers contact you while you are working from home? How will you communicate the change? Will your regular e-mail be available to you from home, phone, fax, cell phone. If you will work part time, will you be available for emergencies? Or, if you will job share, how will you and your partner communicate to provide seamless full time work?

Physical Set-up: What will your home office set up be? Will you have a separate room away from home and family distractions? Do you have a computer, fax, printer, etc. available? Do you have a separate phone line? What kind of access do you have to the internet if applicable, how will you access digital work files...can you dial in?

Evaluation: Set a timeframe during which you and your boss can re-evaluate whether or not the new schedule is working. 3-6 months with time scheduled for interim evaluation with opportunity to discuss any problems and resolve them. Indicate that either party can terminate the arrangement at the end of the trial period.

Job Duties: Make a list of the job duties that can be performed seamlessly from home. Provide details of how it will be transparent to customers where applicable. Or, if you will go part time or job share, how will work be redistributed?

Conclusion: List examples of any departments in your organization who already allow telecommuting, part time, job share, flex time. Indicate that you feel that you have the same work ethic, etc...and are committed to making this a success. Discuss that many organizations are now using this kind of work arrangement for recruitment and retention of high quality employees. Discuss the decreased stress and added productivity that will result from working from home (think of examples of distractions at work that will not be present at home)



How to Ask for a Flexible Work Arrangement - To learn more about this author, visit Kirsten Ross's Website.

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About the Author


Kirsten Ross
(Visit Kirsten's Website)
Kirsten Ross has been interviewed as an expert of flexible work and life balance on NBC Nightly News, Fox 2 News, National Public Radio and for publications such as Working Mother Magazine, Going Back to Work; A Survival Guide for Comeback Moms, The Entrepreneurial Parent, and more than 200 others. She has a Masters degree in Human Resource Management, is a Certified Senior HR Professional and is a Leadership and Life Coach. She founded her company, Womans-Work, LLC in 1999. She has helped countless professionals achieve work-life balance and is on a mission to help organizations improve their family-friendly status. As a leadership coach and owner of Focus Forward Coaching she takes her work to the next level helping leaders and entrepreneurs remove the thought patterns, fears, behaviors and beliefs that stand as barriers to achieving the life and work that they desire. Creating a life of conscious choice and rocking relationships are keys to living a balanced and fulfilling life. Visit Kirsten’s coaching site:
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