The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit by Beth Kanter & Aliza Sherman

Author:Beth Kanter & Aliza Sherman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781119253587
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2016-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

Asking for Flexible Work

We’ve talked about workflow and movement as well as energy management and how typical work schedules and routines may not coincide with your optimal work times. Think about the changes you can make to your daily routine that will help keep your energy up so you work more efficiently. You could immediately improve the quality of your work and day through flexible work structures and schedules.

Carie Lewis Carlson of The Humane Society, introduced in Chapter 4, says having a child really opened her eyes to the need for self-care. Lewis Carlson was motivated to ask for flextime when she found that working until 9:00 p.m. meant her daughter would always be in bed by the time she got home.

“When I came back from maternity leave, my life had changed completely. I went from work being my one and only priority to being a working mom overnight,” Lewis Carlson recalls. “I had a really hard time adjusting to this, so I decided to ask my manager for a meeting. I was honest in telling her I was struggling to get some balance and asked if she would be open to trying a part-time work-from-home arrangement. And, I told her that if it didn’t work, for any reason—like she didn’t feel like she could communicate well enough with me, my direct reports needed more supervision, etcetera—that this was only a month-long trial.”

Now Lewis Carlson works from home two days a week. She also leaves the office by 5:00 P.M. every day without apology. Lewis Carlson makes it a point to communicate with her supervisor about what she needs in terms of work flexibility. From there, they work out what is best for her and what works for the organization. Her advice to others seeking flextime is to be ready with a solution—or several scenarios—that would meet your needs and the needs of the organization. Start with a trial period to test the waters.

Rachel Calderon, marketing and communications manager at Central Florida Foundation, asked for a flex schedule when she returned to work after having her second child. Calderon leaves work early two days a week with the agreement to stay connected through e-mail, available for phone calls, and remote access from home.

“I also have a lot of flexibility to work from home if I have a sick child or something going on at home. This allows me to beat traffic on the way home, spend some extra time with my kids, start dinner, and do a few things around the house. The extra time really helps with the work-life balance and helping me feel like I’m ahead,” says Calderon, who adds that her organization benefits from allowing her to work flexibly because it gets the “best version” of her.

Flextime is not an official employment policy at Calderon‘s organization. Before she went out on maternity leave, she had several conversations with her boss about what she needed to be able to come back to work and be okay. Her supervisor

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