Do you deserve flexibility on the job?

• Paula West
• August 29, 2023
• Newsletter Article

The first step is to define what flexibility means to you and why you want it. Do you need to shift your hours of work from time to time, or perhaps you are looking for a hybrid workplace environment? Maybe flexibility isn’t about hours and location, maybe it is about opportunity for growth and office culture and job responsibilities.  

Many times, young workers are not familiar with the labor laws that protect the worker and the employer. Once you know these answers, you can then prepare yourself by reviewing the company policies, for a conversation with your supervisor or manager if what you are looking for is not already provided.  

There are companies out there that have great flexibility or work-life balance culture already, but their policies could be structured so that you must earn them through years of service or when there is positive consistency with targets and goals or when trust has been earned. Traditionally, this meant working many years at one company. How do you feel about having to earn your flexibility? 

Reality questions to ask yourself: 

1.      Have you earned flexibility yet in your position?  

2.      What makes you deserve different treatment than others?  

3.      Is your overall goal to change the company policies to provide flexibility to all or just to yourself?  

Previous generations rarely had a hybrid option for work. They left their homes, worked their hours, and then returned home. The next generations are experiencing very different work environments that include hybrid models or full-time remote. Some managers may have difficulty with change or with understanding why some employees would not want to be in the office. Remember that in the workforce before you didn’t have the option to even ask due to technology restraints, so when these conversations begin, be ready to have your why, how and the benefits to the company ready. Keep in mind a manager must consider the whole team, their flexibility, and what the team will feel if one is granted something that they are not.  

Flexibility in the workplace has been a hot topic and the definition of ‘flexibility’ is still unclear to many employers. You can find more about what flexibility can mean in the AgCareers.com Career Success Library.