How Can I Convince My Boss To Let Me Work Flexibly?

In a world of in­spi­ra­tional memes and #girl­post In­sta­gram posts, it’s easy to for­get that we all get stuck at work, or feel like we can’t find a way for­ward at times. Sue Uner­man is the Chief Trans­for­ma­tion Of­fi­cer at Me­di­a­Com and Kathryn Ja­cob OBE is the Chief Ex­ec­u­tive at Pearl and Dean. To­gether they wrote The Glass Wall: Suc­cess Strate­gies For Women At Work And Busi­nesses That Mean Busi­ness. Each week an­swer your work ques­tions with prag­matic, hon­est ad­vice that’s proven to work…

Q: Some of my friends in other companies have officially been offered “flexible working”. I’d like to work flexibly, but how do I convince my boss that it will work?

Kathryn: Firstly, what do you mean by flexibly? Do you mean what we might call “a set flexibility” as in a regular 4 day week, or starting at 8 and leaving at 4? Or do you mean flexibly week to week? Depending on what suits you. There’s a big difference, and too often the two things are mixed up. It’s important to have it clear in your head what you’re asking for.

Secondly do you work in an environment where this is done? Are there other people who work flexibly there? What are their circumstances?

All of these are factors to consider before you make your request.

Sue: Do you even have to ask? Could you trial more flexibility and see what happens? It might be that formalising it is a difficult thing to do, but if you manage all your workload in hours that work better for you, it might be better to act first and ask for permission once you have proved that it works.

Kathryn: I’m a really big fan personally as a boss of flexible working. I have a colleague, Clare, who gets more done in 4 days than most people do in 6. She is also very tuned in to our work patterns and will work on her day out of the office when necessary provided that we give her enough notice. You need to be mindful of the work place you’re in and whether your request is easily accommodated or it’s a completely impossible situation for your boss or colleagues.

Sue: Every research piece on younger workers does suggest that for them to commit to a career somewhere that career must commit to them. What do I mean by this? That unlike the days when I started out, when my immediate boss said to me on day one: “Sue, you’re to get in before me and not leave till I leave which means pre 830am and often after 7pm at night”, these expectations are rare. These days with a greater expectation of having a portfolio career, people under 35 expect that the workplace will accommodate what suits them.

So it’s clear that for an employer to put a complete ban on flexible working is a dangerous move in terms of attracting the best young talent, and you might want to nicely find a way of saying this.

Kathryn: Be structured about your approach if you do want permission. Suggest it as a trial. Point out the quid pro quo aspect of it too that you will be flexible when the business needs you to be like my colleague.

Agree that if you are going to work flexibly what the expectation is and set some proper, measurable achievements/ expectations with a session half way through the trial. Then review it together, honestly, using that session to amend or adapt how you work or what the key elements are.

Sue: You might find that your boss questions why they should allow you to work in a different way from everyone else. You need to find a point of view that allows you to sell them the idea of it as a trial perhaps for the wider team – position yourself as a guinea pig. Or let them know what you’re planning to do with the flexibility and that this has some benefit for the organisation. For instance, we had someone at MediaCom who was an iron man (woman) athlete and really was focussed on training at certain times of the year. We felt that this benefited her and because it was good for her, it was good for us.

Kathryn: There has to be some mutual advantage to it. When you approach it that way, you’ll get a better response. What do they get, what do you get? Also, please don’t be one of those people who, when other people take up the same flexibility, start seeing it as a removal of their special privileges. Trust me, I have a friend who has experienced this. It’s not a great look to sulk when you are a grown woman or man!

Sue: If you don’t succeed at first, ask why it wasn’t possible. Be pro-active without being a barrier to what you want to achieve (remember the no sulking rule). Take any feedback and construct a case that answers any concerns they might have. It may be that there is a compelling business reason why you can’t work flexibly at the moment so just let that pass and address the situation again when the time is right.

Kathryn: Also, unless it really is a life changing event that’s made you want this, don’t threaten to resign if you don’t get what you want at first. You’re backing your boss into a corner and they won’t appreciate that. Be calm, considerate and persistent without being an irritant.

Sue: Follow the advice we give in our book: The Glass Wall, success strategies for women at work, and businesses that mean business. Try and express your point of view by using an analogy that your boss is naturally drawn to, and which represent their passion point. If you can do this, you’ve got a much better chance of getting a green light