Finding and negotiating the perfect work hours may seem like a difficult achievement when thinking about it, but it actually isn’t as difficult as it might seem.
There are plenty of effective approaches that you can initiate to achieve those flexible work hours you dream of having, and after following this guide you’ll be on your way to developing the right negotiation skills and approaches to handling this.
There are a number of effective negotiation strategies that anyone can develop such as understanding the process properly. Many people don’t bother to negotiate job offers or their designated hours and work methods, for fear of damaging their relationship with a manager. Negotiating isn’t about making demands and giving ultimatums, but instead working with management to achieve an effective outcome.
Believe it or not, but working from home actually saves companies a lot of money. Money spent on equipment, utilities, facilities and more really does add up, and this is starting to become the number one driver behind employers creating policies to help workers have flexible hours through work from home.
Flexibility in your work can also improve your:
Negotiating Flexible Hours: Written Proposals
One of the key approaches to negotiating flexible work hours is to have a written proposal to your manager. Your written proposal, should you choose this as your method, should include:
A written proposal is one of the most effective ways to negotiate flexible work hours as it sets out a number of ways in which having the right hours for you will benefit your employment and other workers; if you’re able to identify how this can be achieved then it will show your employer how having those hours will be beneficial.
What are some of the best flexible working requests?
Part-Time Working
This is one of the best ways to have flexible work as it means that you would be working fewer than 30 hours per week. These reduced hours mean that there is more of an opportunity to have flexible and less demanding work hours
Compressed Hours
Compressed hours are when the week’s work is compressed into a shorter time span. So, for example, you may currently work 40 hours over five days. This could be compressed into four days of 10 hours or three and a half days of 11 or 12 hours per day. Some employees arrange their working time over a nine-day fortnight. The advantage of compressed hours is that the employee gets time off during the week or fortnight, but still gets paid a full salary.
Working from Home
Working from home is another way to negotiate or have flexible work hours because it also may mean that there is less time to travel to and from work, and instead you are left with the convenience of your own home, leaving plenty of room to be able to do some daily activities such as take and collect children from school or take time off in the middle of the day. To work from home, you, as the employee, would need to have good time management skills and self-motivation. It’s also essential to ensure that your job would be suited to an at-home lifestyle and would not be negatively impacted.
A recent study by UNISON survey showed that sickness reduced from
amongst those that worked flexible hours
Not all forms of flexible working are suitable for all types of work, but flexibility, to some degree is required for most jobs. Finding the perfect flexibility is easy when you’re able to work out with your employer how having more flexible hours, whether it’s working from home or within the company, will not negatively impact on your ability to work effectively and instead will be beneficial.
Keeping in mind the steps previously mentioned to include in a written request to be able to have those flexible hours is an excellent first step to being on your way to having those perfect hours.
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