How to get the work flexibility you want post lockdown
So you proved you can work from home, you didn’t miss the daily commute one bit and you have loved getting the odd household chore done in between meetings - no more washing loads at 9pm. Would you like to keep it that way?
Or maybe the opposite. Do you miss the buzz of an office, your home is not conducive to working (you didn't expect to be spending this much time with your partner until retirement?!) and quite frankly you need some damn space. “I’m a working mum who needs to concentrate, get me out of here!”
Some employers have been great at giving employees options of where and how to work going forward. Others? Well let’s just say command and control management styles still rule.
Wherever your employer is at, there has never been a better time to renegotiate flexible working. So, how do you ask your boss for the flexibility you want in 3 simple steps?
Write down the business case
You need to put your proposition like and good business case. That means you need to articulate:
The proposition
Be very clear what you are asking for. “I would like to work from home more often now” does not cut it.
Which days, what hours, on which outputs do you plan to work from home? Think clearly about how you want to fit around school drops offs/ pickups/ sports clubs etc.
How will you interact with and be contactable by management, team members and customers when not in the office?
How will you report back on outputs?
How will you seek feedback/ review as appropriate?
What costs/ trade offs are incurred?
Much may have been rolled out on a temporary and “quick fix” basis for lockdown but what will you need on a more permanent basis?
Do you have everything you need to continue to work from home? Eg are there any health and safety requirements not yet considered?
Do you anticipate costs such as mobile phone/ broadband which will need more company reimbursement?
The return on investment.
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you must be able to articulate. Any company and any boss is as driven by the WIFM (what's in it for me) as much as the next person. So find at least 3 clear benefits for them. Consider:
Can you tangibly prove that your output was the same or better when working at home during lockdown? What data do you have e.g. revenue generated, caseload managed etc
Can you commit to working on additional work/ projects with the additional time you save?
Could you gather feedback from your customers and stakeholders on how much better it was for them interacting with you remotely?
What decisions are required?
Leave no room for misinterpretation or (more common) stalling by being clear:
What can be agreed now?
When is the proposed date for final decision?
Who else needs to be consulted?
When and how will this arrangement be reviewed?
2. Prepare the objections clinic
I once worked for a bank where the frontline staff would run “objections clinics” as part of sales training - brainstorming what all the issues were that a customer could raise. Use the same tactic here - think through what objections your boss bring might up and what your response would be. They may include:
Data security - do you need to do anymore work with IT to ensure data is secure?
Accountability - how do they know what you are doing?
Your team - will they feel disconnected if not seeing you in person as often?
Managing crises - how can you all respond in times of emergency? Is there a clear plan if you are not together?
3. Negotiating the conversation(s)
Like any negotiation the art of “buttering up” is never amiss, ask any good salesman. Put yourself in your boss’s shoes. How do they like to manage and be managed? Do they like things kept in the regular 1:1; are they best warmed up over a coffee; do they like to be warned by advance in the email what a meeting is about? There is no single rule here, it depends on your boss’s style so be tactical here.
Whichever way, make sure you are prepared with your business case clearly mapped out in your head. There is no harm in sending a written copy to your boss depending on his/ her management style AFTER your warm up conversation.
Most importantly be prepared for him/ her not to answer straight away. However do agree when the next discussion will take place so that you are not left hanging, which so often happens.
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT: 3 steps to getting the working flexibility you want now.
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO ACT NOW and ensure you translate these thoughts into action. This quick worksheet will take no more than 20 minutes.
And remember don’t be upset with the results you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.
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Good luck and stay sane!
Helen xx
