If you’re looking to improve work-life balance in the new year, there are loads of options. However, before you propose a flexible work arrangement, develop a clear picture in your mind of what you want and how you plan to sustain productivity and your usual high performance.
When you propose flex time to your employer, don’t focus solely on yourself and your needs. Avoid using the words “I” and “me.” Persuade your boss that the new plan is in his best interest and that you’ve fully considered how it will work for him. “We” is the term to use as you have these discussions. Employers won’t care so much about why you want to do this. They want to know how you plan to maximize your time. The most important question to keep in mind as you develop your strategy is: How will it benefit the company?
Before you start planning your strategy, talk to any co-workers with a flexible work schedule and ask about the advantages and disadvantages of their schedules. Also find out how they obtained agreement from your mutual employer.
— Focus on benefits to the company. There are different ways a flexible work arrangement may benefit the company, and you should make this clear in your pitch. Think about issues the company faces. Perhaps the organization has space constraints and this would help alleviate the problem. Or there are others who work part-time or from home with whom you could share a workspace.
If you are on conference calls early in the morning or late in the evening with colleagues in other locations, perhaps eliminating your long commute makes sense. You will have more time to prepare, and traffic or public transportation breakdowns won’t make you late.
You can offer to take on additional responsibility with the change in your work schedule. However, you must convince your manager that the role matches the schedule you propose. If you want to work from home, don’t volunteer to be the social activity coordinator. Instead, volunteer to draft new business proposals.
— Present the work-from-home option. Before asking your employer for permission to work from home, decide what your ideal situation is. Is it working 40 hours from Monday to Thursday or working from home one or two days a week? Start big so you can end up with an agreement that best suits you. For example, if your ideal situation is working from home one day per week, suggest working from home two days per week. If your employer says,”No,” then propose one day per week. In each case, explain how it benefits the company. If they deny your request to work from home, you could suggest working Monday to Friday one week and Monday to Thursday the next in a compressed work schedule.
It’s likely that your company will not approve working from home full-time if your job requires you to be in the office for meetings and in-person interaction. And usually this benefit is reserved for long-term employees who are forced to relocate for family reasons. Your home office must be equipped to allow you to perform all of your job functions, and you must assure your boss that you will be available whenever necessary.
— Make a case for a part-time schedule. If you want to decrease your hours, you should have a feasible written proposal prepared to present to your boss. It should include your desired schedule and how you will fulfill your tasks without compromising work quality or creating more work for others. You should make them aware that you’ll be available for important meetings, even if they fall outside of your regular hours. Keep in mind that part-time work often creeps more toward full-time hours.
If you are intent on changing your work schedule in the new year and your employer is disagreeable, perhaps it’s time to look for a more flexible job. These days many companies are amenable to such arrangements because they have begun to realize that employees perform better when they are provided with flexibility. Cheers to restoring your work-life balance in the new year.
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Ask Your Boss for a More Flexible Work Schedule originally appeared on usnews.com