I'm lucky enough that I can work from wherever I happen to be. During ski season, I'm away from home as often I'm here, because my husband spends his time writing about skiing while I'm writing about job searching and we're on the road a lot.
When our daughter was little, flexibility was important, too. You can't plan on sick children and snow days, and it's terrific to have a flexible schedule, if it's feasible.
If you'd like a flexible work arrangement and aren't sure how to ask for one, here are tips and advice from working mom and writer Jill Harshbarger:
Negotiating a Flexible Work Arrangement
Once you’ve scored your dream job, sometimes you need to discuss a flexible work arrangement. Inevitably, things are going to come up, and it’s best if you talk things through before you sign on the dotted line. During your interview process, you likely discussed that you have a life outside work, but you probably didn’t want to be too blunt about your other obligations. Now that there is an offer or the table, you need to talk about how you can satisfy your job requirements as well as your family commitments.
Before you open up a dialog with your potential employer, you should be sure of what your needs are. If you know that you can work while the kids are at school, but have no reliable back up if one is sick, or has a day off, you need to tell them. Many companies have a work from home policy which you might be able to take advantage of if you can’t make it into the office, and possibly even during school breaks.
You should discuss the arrangement verbally, either in person or by phone, before you formally accept the job. Let your potential employer know that you would really like to be able to accept the offer, but that you will need some flexibility:
- I really appreciate the offer you have made. Can we discuss the possibility of my working from home a couple of days a week?
- Thank you for the generous offer you have made. I just want to be sure that it will be possible for me to work at home occasionally, as we discussed during my interview.
- I am really looking forward to working with your team, and I’m hoping that we can work out a flexible schedule amenable to us both.
Remember, you’ve already done the hardest part, you got the job! The company wants to hire you, not start the whole hiring process for this position over again. This is where having been as honest as possible during your interview can pay off. It is helpful if it doesn’t come as a complete surprise to your employer that you need some flexibility in your work arrangement. If you’ve waited until the offer to mention it, don’t despair.
You’ve already proven that you would be a valuable asset to the company, so asking for some flexibility shouldn’t be a deal breaker.
Related: Work at Home Jobs | About.com Job Searching
