How To Negotiate Flexible Working

Flexible working used to be taboo in many American workplaces – a modular, bespoke arrangement that was viewed by many as simply working less, rather than working better or more flexibly.

More often than not, it was considered a perk or purely the realm of women and mothers. Nobody ever got to CEO by asking HR for more flexibility, right?

And yet, one pandemic later, flexibility is not such an F-word after all.

Americans want more flexibility

According to the most recent American Opportunity Survey by McKinsey, not only do U.S. workers want the option of flexible working, they’re not afraid to ask for more of it. And in the post-Covid landscape, when people have the chance to work flexibly, 87% of them take it.

Prior McKinsey research had already shown that for those that left their jobs at the start of the pandemic, workplace flexibility was a top reason they accepted new jobs.

However, not everyone on the workforce spectrum is as enthusiastic about flexible working. Employers are apparently getting less and less tolerant of elastic working practices, the further we get from the Covid era.

A survey of more than 1,806 US workers conducted by Monster in January 2023 showed that while half of employers believe giving their people flexible schedules has worked well, a third of firms who had planned to adopt a virtual or hybrid model had changed their minds from a year ago.

Flexibility equals productivity

Experts believe this is a mistake. Flexibility and productivity actually go hand in hand. The work-life balance benefits that come with flexible working are undisputed, while it has been proven again and again that the classic nine-to-five day in the office is not the ideal for productivity.

Still, employee resistance abounds and key talent who find that their flexibility needs are no longer being met are either moving on, or practicing the not-so-subtle art of coffee badging: showing up at the office just long enough to grab a coffee and have a minimum of interactions before heading home again.

Come prepared

If you intend to negotiate flexible working in a current or new contract, there are a few key things worth doing.

First, schedule face-to-face time with management to discuss it. Come armed with a proposal that outlines exactly how you plan to communicate with the office, how you will still reach all of your required targets, and be honest about your needs and the reason behind them. Engage in ‘job-crafting’ - being clear about defining your tasks and how you’ll be assessed under a flexible model.

Finally, if you score your ideal flexibility scenario, share as much information as you can with co-workers about what your new working week looks like and keep communication lines open. But don’t let any old-fashioned stigmas get you down – just because you have flexible hours does not mean you're any less dedicated than your colleagues.

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