Getting flexible work: maximise your chances of success

The law sets down a procedure for asking for a change in your hours but your employer is not obliged to say yes. You can only make one formal request per year, so you need to make sure your request counts. How do you make an offer they can't refuse?

• Your workplace rights: flexible working

Think about what you are asking for

Think about your colleagues
Managed well, flexible working shouldn’t cause other members of the team to feel put upon... and it can give team members a chance to take on new responsibilities and improve skills Nicki, personnel manager

Your request has to balance what you need with what your job requires. First of all you need to think about why you are making the request. Is it to fit in with your partner's work? Is it to be home before bath time? Can you afford to drop hours?

There is no point in making a request that doesn't fit in with your needs, but the more flexible you can be in your application the more chance you have of succeeding. “Sometimes people ask for something unrealistic,” says Nicki, a personnel manager, “if you think you can do your full-time job in three days I think I am entitled to ask, 'What you are doing in the other two?'

• Work life balance: what others have done

Formal isn't always best

You have the right to put in a formal request and mustn't be treated less well for doing so. However, sometimes an informal chat is the best way to start things off. Not only does it make your boss or HR person feel involved but also you can get an idea of how your request will go down.

Nicki says, “I like to think people can talk to me about their needs at work. You never know, we might be able to sort something out without having to go through the whole procedure.”

Put yourself in your employer's shoes

Imagine you are your boss. What would concern you about the application? If you identify potential problems before you start you can offer solutions in your application.

Some jobs will have constraints in how flexible they can be, but be creative. You might not feel able to work from home if you manage a shop, but you could organise your work so you did all the paperwork at home.

Talk to your colleagues. They might be happy to take on some of your work, but if not you need to find another way of reorganising your work. Either way your colleagues will be happy you are taking their feelings into account and less likely to resent any changes you do make.

“Managed well, flexible working shouldn’t cause other members of the team to feel put upon,” says Nicki, “and it can give team members a chance to take on new responsibilities and improve skills."

Sell your idea

Requesting flexible working is less about what you need and more about what will work for the business. You need to put forward a strong business case. Hopefully you will have ironed out any potential problems before putting pen to paper, now you need to think of how flexible work will help your employer.

“If I get an application which says, ‘I want to drop five hours and compress the rest into four days’, I will immediately think ‘Who’s going to cover those five hours? Who’s going to pick up the phone on that day?’" says Nicki.

“If I get one which says, ‘Compressing my hours will let me cover early morning calls from overseas customers, and the five hours dropped will pay to train up one of my team to deputise on my day off and other absences’, I not only think it’s not going to be a problem, I think it’s going to be a benefit".

“I don’t need to know their domestic arrangements" she continues, “I need to know that the business isn’t going to suffer. Convince me of that and we’re both happy."

• Your workplace rights

Author

Catherine Rogan has worked for Working Families' advice service for four years. She runs the e-dads service where dads can receive advice on working rights by e-mail or text message on 07800 00 4722. She lives in Surrey with her partner and one son.

Your experiences and tips?

Have you successfully managed to request flexible work? What do you think made the difference? What would you advise other dads who are preparing to ask their employer for changes in the way they work? Share your tips and experiences using our comments system below.