With the world still in a state of flux, Amazon announced they will allow individual teams to determine how much time in the office is necessary. Most corporations are not as lenient and hybrid work policies vary between organizations, so how do you ask for one? To help create your best working environment, Spot On Talent gathered 5 tips for negotiating a flexible work schedule.
1. Prioritize Your Most Important Needs
As you think about what type of flexible schedule will work best for you, ask yourself: what are the two most important needs in your life outside of your employment? What schedule adjustments would most dramatically reduce your work-related stress level and happiness? From there, you can prioritize how your work schedule might adjust to meet your needs.
2. Understand your Company’s Policies
Next, review your firm’s current policies around flexible work arrangements or your prospective employer’s policies. This will help develop an understanding of them. Once you have this base knowledge, you can determine where your needs and the policies align.
3. Determine an Appropriate Ask
After reviewing the policies and your needs, you can determine an appropriate ask. Having an understanding of both sides of the conversation will allow for easier navigation of the ask.
Make sure you consider what work needs to be done in a team environment and what days your coworkers plan to be in the office. Harvard Business Review has some detailed advice for dividing tasks into remote and in-person.
4. Ask for a Trial Period
One of the best ways to get your boss on board is to suggest a trial period after you have proven you can do the job. The trial could be anywhere from a week to a few months. You can set predetermined check-ins during the trial and after it finishes you can your manager can decide whether to continue.
When working from home or remotely, keep track of your work. Create a file that shows your fluency in virtual collaboration and all the tangible projects you were able to complete while working remotely.
5. Maintain Open Communication
Once your boss agrees to a flexible work schedule, make sure to stay in close communication with your management and team. This will help build trust in the flexibility until it becomes the “new normal”.
Plan weekly check-ins until both parties determine no adjustments are needed. Check-ins can decrease once everyone is comfortable.
If your current work situation isn’t working for you, Spot on Talent can help! Check out all the open jobs on our job board, or shoot us a message with what you’re looking for.
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