About

WorkOptions.com is here to equip and empower you to ASK for the flexible work options you want to achieve the work-life balance you need.

Why? It’s about time for your life. Your family. Your interests. For more “life” in your work-life equation. More free time for what’s important to you outside of work.

My mission is to guide you in getting it. 

Hi, I’m Pat Katepoo. Freedom and flexibility are my middle names. Well, not really. But they are important influencers in what I do as a work options adviser and work-life consultant.

There are many wonderful websites out there that address the work-life conflict issues. But my aim with WorkOptions’ proposal packages, articles and one-on-one advice is to meet your work-life management needs as an individual.

I write about flexible work arrangements and securing more time off, while still keeping your career going. Because higher pay expands your work options, asking for a raise is also in the topic mix.

You get practical success strategies and advice on these topics, with an angle on creative solutions and how to ask for what you need for work-life success.

Working parents and baby boomers are my main audience. That said, the gender differences in negotiating are fascinating; I find women value most from my negotiation advice.

To stay in touch, please Like my Facebook page (I give added advice and freebies there) and subscribe to my article updates.

Flexible work was the key to my own successful work-life blend, and I wanted to share what I knew with others. So I started WorkOptions in 1993. If you’re curious, my story is further down.

WorkOptions.com—online since 1997—has been featured in dozens of national print publications and books over the years. But it’s especially well-known for the flexible work proposals I wrote, which have sold to customers in all 50 US states and more than 35 countries.

First Time Here?

Start with these most popular articles on flexible work.

Will YOUR Boss Say YES to Your Request for Flexible Work? - Quick 3-question quiz

Will You Make This #1 Big Mistake When Requesting Flexible Work?

How to Build Your Confidence to ASK for Flexible Work

Or start by life stage or interest: Time Off to Travel  ♦  Working Moms & Dads  ♦  Flex After 50

If you have any questions, please let me know.

“What Can’t All My Friends Do This?” (The Background Story)

That’s the question that launched my flexible work options advisory service in 1993. I was enjoying a weekday at home because of my flexible schedule as a part-time marketing director for a business law firm. I was in my mid-30s and using a flexible work arrangement as a way to manage both family and career without going nuts. (It worked.)

Inspired to show overwhelmed working mothers how they could have a flexible work life, I started Work Options Resources, a consulting service.

Soon after, I wrote the first edition of the Flexible Work Proposal Packages to equip people to ask their manager for the arrangement they needed. (That worked, too.)

Since WorkOptions.com went online in 1997, I’ve had the thrill of helping thousands of working mothers and others get flexible work approved.

Their flex success stories and lots of national media attention have kept the momentum going. Currently, I also put focus on requesting flexible arrangements that allow more time off, including extra vacation leave and short-term sabbaticals. And getting a higher salary to help pay for it!

Personal Tidbits

I’m now an “empty-nester.” My husband (a carpenter, originally from Thailand) and I live in the home that we built ourselves in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Oahu, where I’ve lived since 1980. We occasionally take in foreign exchange students for short-term stays. So far, we’ve had students from Japan, Thailand, Tajikistan, China and Ukraine. Of course, we’re happy to have relatives and houseguests make their way through.

We’re active in our church, Kailua Assembly of God. I’m originally from Enfield, Connecticut, and graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

And while Hawaii is a wonderful place to live, I enjoy traveling to new places, especially foreign countries. It doesn’t happen often enough, though. Meanwhile, some of the most fun I’m having these days is learning how to speak French. (This is no small feat for someone my age!) Along with my lessons, I have two foreign language partners in France with whom I speak regularly via Skype, and it’s a blast.

If you want a flexible work-life, too, I invite you to poke around WorkOptions.com, and to ask me how I can help you get there.