Negotiate Work Place Flexibility

You might have been dreaming of more flexibility at your work place for some time now. It's time to make that dream a reality and start negotiating with your employer. A well planned out and thought through process will definitely make it happen for you. I will share below a few steps based on my own experiences.

The first most important step is actually taking the decision to ask your employer for work flexibility. This might sound lame but the fact is that most people don’t think that they have the option or the opportunity to try out a flexible work arrangement. Specially in Sri Lanka where work flexibility is still very rare and uncommon, employees don’t even consider bringing up this topic with their managers/employers simply because it's not the norm. But the rule is quite simple, if you need it, then you have to ask for it.

The second most important step is to do your research well. This includes identifying your own flexibility requirements and understanding the work place policies and vibe around work flexibility. You might have some specific flexibility needs such as different working hours, telecommuting part-time/full-time, working less number of days/hours, etc. You need to have a clear idea about what your needs are and how it's going to work around with your work responsibilities and commitments. If the flexibility you're asking for is going to change/reduce your scope of work then be prepared for changes in your employment contract. Understand the financial implications to you as well as the implications to your employer. It's your responsibility to ensure that your proposed flexible work arrangement is beneficial to both you and your employer.

At the same time you need to have a clear understanding about your employers stand on work flexibility.  Are there any formal policies around this, are there other employees who currently have flexible work arrangements, is HR open for new suggestions, etc. If there are formal policies in place, then Yes you need to adhere to them and take the required steps to make a proposal accordingly. If there are no formal policies in place, then you have a greater responsibility to identify how things will work for you and the organisation and also to gain the buy-in from your managers and colleagues. If there are other employees currently having flexible work arrangements, talk to them and see how they approached it. Even though one-size won't fit everyone, this will help you understand how it works in your organisation in a very implicit manner.

The next step is to create a very detailed written proposal on your work flexibility request. The level of detail and the fact that it's all written down sets the tone for a formal negotiation with your manager. This formality is very critical. The proposal must include: the reason for the request, your requirement, the impact to your job, how you're going to manage your responsibilities, the benefits to the organisation, any changes to the employment contract and details of a trial period to try out the new work arrangement.

Once your proposal is ready, book a meeting with your manager. You should indicate early what the meeting is going to be about. Take your written proposal to the meeting. Discuss it openly with the manager (sometimes this meeting will need to include HR personal as well). Answer any questions they might have. Ask any additional questions you might have. Always keep a honest and positive attitude during the discussion. Highlights the positives and the benefit and emphasis on your continued commitment to your job. After the meeting, give your employer sufficient time to review your proposal and get back to you. Follow up with a meeting if required. Be prepared to make revisions to your request as per comments from your manager. 

If you are one of the lucky ones to get your proposal accepted right way, ensure that the agreement is in writing with mutual consent from all parties. If the outcome is negative don’t be disappointed and maintain your positive attitude. Always respect the employers decision and take appropriate steps to further revise or evaluate the situation if required. Give it some time, review the situation and renegotiate after sometime. 

These are the five steps I took when I was trying to negotiate a more flexible work arrangement with one of my former employers and I'm happy to say it worked for me.

This is definitely not a simple process and you will face your own twists and turns along the way (I did for sure). But the important thing to note is that, these opportunities are available for you and as long as you are committed to the cause and take the right steps, You can actually Make it Work!