How to ask
for a workstyle
change
So you want to take back control of your life and keep your job? You might be overwhelmed or daunted by how to make that happen and how to have the conversation with your boss. That’s understandable and we’re here to help.
Here are our top tips for how to have this conversation and what resources might support you.
When should you ask for a workstyle change?
There has never been a better time than now. The likelihood is that you and your team have been working remotely for the best part of six months. Guess what, the apocalypse didn’t happen, productivity hasn’t fallen off a cliff and the work is still getting done.
But you can still sense an unwillingness to commit to this in the long run, perhaps for fear of losing control, or because it’s not the done thing.
By all means drop a hint with a Hoxby workshop on Remote Leadership or Overcoming Fear - or buckle in for a challenging conversation.
How should you prepare for the discussion?
Firstly, consider the benefits to the organisation. You know the saying people like solutions not problems? Here’s a case in point.
Show that you can get better results outside the office than inside. Ideally, you’d document some metrics, maybe your per week hours billed, projects completed, or some examples of amazing outputs you’ve produced working remotely in lockdown.
Suggest what might be holding you back from completing these if you were in the office. The meeting culture. The distractions. The commute.
Get ready to negotiate. Read some books - Getting past no and Never Split the Difference are two of our favourites - and learn the power of a BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement).
Work out what your alternatives to working for the organisation might be. Perhaps you could join a freelance community, an organisation like Hoxby, or one of the rapidly growing number of forward thinking companies that are making remote working a permanent thing.
If you’re not prepared to walk away from the organisation you’re with, remember it's now up to companies to accommodate workstyle for employees. If yours won't then feel empowered to find one who will.
Who should you talk to?
One of the biggest mistakes is that, no matter how well prepared you are, if you’re negotiating with the wrong person, you’re unlikely to get the outcome you want.
Who has the power to make the decision you want? Can your line manager make the call? If not, maybe it’s an HR lead or a departmental head.
Try plotting out a stakeholder map - you could canvas support from across the team, or use the influence of a manager to lobby for you.
Volunteer to run a mini-workshop on the benefits of adopting workstyle. Plan a short pilot to test it with a few people. Document the results and add this to your business case to show the benefits of adopting this permanently.
