Heres How To Negotiate Flexible Work Hours

Heres How To Negotiate Flexible Work HoursHeres How To Negotiate Flexible Work Hours These days, it almost seems, as having a flexible work schedule is common practice at most workplaces. The traditional nine-to-five, Monday-through-Friday schedule does not work for everyone anymora, and some companies accommodate for those who work better with a mora flexible schedule, such as one where you can work from home . For example, telecommutersthose who work from home have increased by 115% in the last decade, according to a new study . If other workers are able to have a flexible schedule or work from home , maybe you can do Whether your company offers the option to work from home or not, it never hurts to ask your boss for a more flexible schedule. But, before you do so, its best to go into a conversation like this prepared. Heres what to do.1. Read through your contract or the employee handbookWhen you were hired, you were likely given an employee handbook filled with the ins and outs of the companys rules. You might not have read through everything when you got the job, but if youre hoping to change up your work schedule, the first thing you should do is check the handbook, or your contract, and see if it says anything about flexible schedules or work from home options.Plus, doing so ahead of time and bringing it up later in your conversation with your boss shows that youve done your homeworkWhether your company policy says anything about flexible time or not, you should prepare a plan for the flexible schedule if you want to increase your chances of getting it approved. First, consider how you can balance your work and life and what schedule would make the most sense, both for you and your employer. Are there certain days of the week where you do physically need to be in your office for meetings or to do something for your job? What parts of your job could be done remotely? Do you have an office set up in your home or a specific plac e where you would be working so your employer would know where you are located when youd be working? The more you take the time to compartmentalize all of your work tasks, the better you can set up which days of the week you can get those tasks done, and which days you could be in the office or work from home. If you can show your boss that you have a set plan in place for what your schedule will look like, itll be easier for them to see your schedule from your perspective.3. Lay out the benefits for your employerNext, make a list of the ways in which your employer could benefit from you working from home or having a more flexible schedule. You dont want to make it seem that you are just trying to get a flexible schedule for your benefit you have to show your company how this will be good for them too.Perhaps you will be able to work the two hours you now spend commuting, suggests Human Resources expert Susan Heathfield. Less stress will make you a better employee. Knowing that y ou can drop the children at daycare and pick them up will make you less concerned about their welfare.The next step is to negotiate with your coach. If you are a valuable and trusted employee (meaning youre timely, hard-working and generally a team player) you should not have an issue discussing a flexible schedule with your supervisor. Your track record on your other projects and overall work ethic should be a good indication that you will be able to pull this off.You have a plan, youve thought through the benefits both for you and your employer, so now its time to sell your supervisor on the idea But, dont get your hopes up too high and dont feel discourage if they dont say yes or give a direct answer.According to Karen Dillion , co-author of How Will You Measure Your Life?, you should not expect an answer right away. Dont push for a yes or no right away, she says. Your manager needs time to think about the implications, or maybe get approval from HR. Give them the time and spa ce to do that. If you dont hear back from your boss, a good way to bring up the conversation again is to ask if you can try working a flexible schedule for a week so you and your supervisor can see how it could work. This could be a great opportunity for your supervisor to see how motivated you are to make the schedule workand how much it would mean to you for your work-life balance to be a little better.Even if your supervisor says no for now, dont take it as a total loss You can still convince them later on. If they say no, maybe they arent totally sold on the idea that you could get the work done remotely so before you ask again, spend time working on how you can show your boss how you can still maintain your strong work ethic even if youre not in the office as much. Goodluck