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Home
> Where Are You? >
I'm Planning My Strategy
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Don't Get
Personal!
Make the Business Case for a Flexible Work Arrangement
A new baby.
A marriage that needs more time and attention.
Friends and relatives.
School.
Kids who need quantity time.
Community and volunteer work.
Elder care.
These are some of the reasons and motives that drive
people to pitch a flexible work arrangement to their
manager.
What do they have in common?
They're all related to personal life. And...
Your manager probably
doesn't want to hear about it!
It sounds harsh, but it's generally true. When making
your proposal, you must appeal to the interests of your
manager and the bottom-line concerns of your employer, even
though your interests are closer to heart and home.
A development officer for a non-profit organization in
San Francisco told me that she was about to make her
pitch for a part-time schedule by sweeping into her
manager's office with an emotional plea of, “I miss my
baby!”
Fortunately, she said, she first came across the
Two Big
Mistakes to Avoid article on WorkOptions.com about the
dangers of “winging it”, and then developed a more
sensible approach.
Likewise, plan to present the business case that would
allow you to reduce your hours, telecommute, job share
or otherwise restructure your job. Leave the WHY behind
your request out of your proposal.
(In turn, your manager should make the decision to accept
or reject your proposal based on the business merits,
not based on the reasons why you want it.)
This advice parallels that of the request for a raise;
personal need is not the issue. “My two kids need
braces.” “I'm a single mom receiving no child support.”
“We're remodeling our kitchen.”
It just doesn't fly.
Your justification for a raise must be based on the
merits of your performance and contributions to your
employer. Leave orthodontist bills and the cost of
hardwood cabinets out of the discussion!
It's the same when asking for a flexible work
arrangement. What's in it for your manager? Your employer?
How will they benefit?
That is the emphasis your proposal must take.
Flex
Success provides a solid framework to supply
your answers.
Although your motives for a flexible work arrangement
are personal—even emotional—resolve to present your case
in an objective, business-like manner to boost the
likelihood of getting your request approved.
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