How to Negotiate Flexible Working

Mandy Garner is the Editor of Workingmums.co.uk: the UK’s leading female-focused jobs and community site.
 
How do you best go about negotiating flexible working? Under current legislation the right to request flexible working is just that. A right to request. Your employer can turn your request down on any one of eight grounds, although they have to give a good reason for doing so and you do have a right of appeal. It’s all about building a good business case.
 
For that reason, you need to approach the process as a negotiation and to put a business case for why you should work the way you are proposing, which anticipates any potential problems your employer might pose, for instance, talking to colleagues about how it might work. You could also suggest a temporary trial period if you feel your employer needs more convincing that the work pattern you are proposing will work.
 
Before you go into your meeting, though, you need to check out your company’s policy and practice on flexible working. Sometimes, companies have very good policies on paper, but their implementation is not so strong and individual managers might be more or less resistant to different ways of working.
 
Some companies are more innovative in their policy on flexible working and may already have trialled different forms of flexible working from the usual ones of working different shift patterns or cutting your hours. For instance, they might offer term-time only working, or working from home, or annualised hours. Ask around and find out whether other workers are working flexibly and what their experience is.
 
Before you put in your proposal, be clear about the hours you want to work and how you want to work them, for instance, could you do some of your work at home in order to cut down on travelling time? Look at your childcare options too and ensure they fit with your working hours. Can you afford to work part-time?
 
Once you know the hours you want to work and how, make a business plan which emphasizes the advantages for both you and the company of working this way. For example, you could say there are aspects of your job – research, reading, data input – that could be done better at home with no other distractions around.
 
The next step is to put your request in writing to your line manager and sign and date the letter. It is best to go through the formal process of making an application as informal agreements don’t have the same standing in law if your company wants to change your hours subsequently.
 
Once your request is in writing, your employer has 28 days to arrange a meeting with you to discuss it. Be calm and business-like in your negotiations. Don’t lose your calm if they turn you down flat. As with many business negotiations, to find a happy outcome, you may need to meet each other halfway.
 
There are plenty of flexible workers out there who make it work for them – don’t give up at the first hurdle, keep searching for the solution and you will find something that works. These days, most employers recognize that talent retention is far more efficient than recruitment, and you might be pleasantly surprised at the efficiency gains you can make while working from home.
 
For new flexible jobs and to get advice, support and inspiration on flexible working visit www.workingmums.co.uk.