h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A question to the Great and Wonderful Ask:

my company moved offices a while ago and it costs me a fortune in travel and eats around 3 hours out of my day just driving to w**k. Therefore I'm thinking about asking my company (who owe me big time for various reasons) to let me work compressed hours and only come to the office 4 days a week. My plan would be to have a fixed day (I was thinking Monday, but Wednesday seems to work well for Gnomon and that would make quite a nice midweek break I think)

Apparently I'm so vital to the internal workings of my team that when I'm unexpectedly absent for a day or two everything seems to go pear shaped. I'm not a big fan of the "I'm irreplaceable" schtick because nobody is and nobody should be. But I know that this will be an argument for my company to use against me.

Here's the question: what arguments can I use from my side to support my request. So far everything I'm coming up with hinges around improving the quality of my life (through reducing my travelling time and costs) - although some of my travel is subsidised by the company so that will save them a small amount.

Of course the fact that I'm not frightening half the office (who are convinced I will dig anyone's heart out with a spoon as soon as look at them) might be a bonus for them - a happy fluffy friendly Sho is in everyone's interests

I've just recently moved to a 4 day week, and I have to say it's wonderful!

I usually have Wednesdays off, but I switch this around to attend unavoidable meetings as well as my own preferences. My business case was a combination of personal work/life balance reasons, and a reducing workload in the office. That last one doesnt sound like that's your position, though.

Environmental - 20% reduction in the pollution produced on a daily commute.
What's the cover of the office like early in the morning and late at night - would this enable to you do business with your foreign contacts, schedule phone calls etc?

Oh interesting. Have you reduced or compressed your hours?

Internationally I mostly do business with my office in Turkey so there's not much of a time difference. I'd be aiming to arrive at 8am anyway, though, because otherwise I'd be too late most evenings to do anything other than flake on the sofa so the hour's time difference wouldn't be much of a problem. Otherwise it's all bank stuff in Germany and working with the logistics team.

Cover actually isn't there since there is only me doing this job (I'm responsible for all Letters of Credit in our office, it's a fairly big task but it's not something that generally has to be done right this second)

My aim is that the team that work for (haha) me finally get a grip of themselves and can manage for one day without making everything go stupid.

I would have to offer to at least be flexible sometimes - eg if the last working day of the month was my usual day out of the office but I don't think that's a big problem for me, unless it started creeping back up to a 5 day week.

The arguments depend a lot on how indispensable *they* think you are, and what *they* think you would be prepared to do if they said no.

If you think they don't want to lose you, then you are in a strong position. Let them know in no uncertain terms that it's unacceptable, and that you'll be looking for another job if they don't act soon.

If you think they'll just throw a party when you threaten to leave, then you'll have to be a bit more subtle and point out how your efficiency could be so much better if you worked flexibly. Clearly you can spend 3 extra hours a day working instead of driving, for one thing.

Right now they have a fit every time I go for lunch in case I don't come back so I think if I can make a good argument and counter all objections sensibly, then it might be ok.

Now I just have to pick the right time to suggest it (and I want them to pay for my next OU course, but that will have to be negotiated later - or is there a value in asking for everything at once?)

I'd ask for the most important one first, and I'm guessing that's the flexible working.

Actually, the key to negotiation is to make them think they've got a good deal. They have to feel very happy with themselves that they've either a) retained your services or b) got you to work an extra 3 hours. After that, the OU should be a doddle.

I'll be trying to formulate everything over the weekend. Thanks for your input - it's pretty much what I was thinking but it's good to have it confirmed by experts.

all round

If you're that irreplaceable I would have thought a query about a payrise would be a good thing to slip into the negotiations also

the reason they owe me is because despite the recommendation from most of the HR committee and despite having fulfilled all the criteria and had the role for at least the last 5 years I was not promoted this year.

The MD (who is now no longer here) who blocked my original first promotion was here recently and said that he'd made the wrong decision then and now regrets it (same there: everyone else wanted me promoted, he said I was too old, too female and had too many children to be considered "loyal" to the company - despite 10 years working there...)

This year the new MD and all senior managers except my (new) boss were for it but... he said "no". Since then one of the HR committee has indicated that they are aware they need to make up for that, so I'm quite hopeful that they will at least agree.

Pay rises and promotions are only once a year - which is why I'm going to try the OU thing too

>> The MD (who is now no longer here) who blocked my original
first promotion...said I was too old, too female and had too
many children to be considered "loyal" to the company - <<

Classic case of pot calling kettle black by the sound of it.

I guess the worst of it is his weak admission after the fact.


~jwf~

Shame you didn't have those comments (I'm assuming you're paraphrasing) on record - that would be a most useful bargaining tool.

We have a number of people working compressed hours where I work. I can't because my working hours depend on other agencies to a great degree.

We have a bit of a problem because people in different locations, who nevertheless are required to be providing a service over a 5 day week in the area, are keen to compress into Mon - Thurs and have a long weekend. I understand that. However, those of us that are left covering Fridays can find things just a tad busy. Since compressed hours are agreed locally, and local managers don't have the whit to talk to eachother......

PP.

we were alone at the time the old MD made those comments and he'd been drinking (which is how i know it was the truth )

anyhoo... the only thing I can see that might be a problem is that in my department there are already 2 people working part-time one of whom is nominally in the same "team" as me which would mean that for one day a week in the afternoon there would only be one person there, nobody if he were on holiday. But since nobody does my job and I only cover for them in dire emergencies out of the goodness of my heart maybe I can persuade the company to ignore that (I'm not going to bring it up...)

I do a nine day fortnight. moved to a half hour lunch and work and extra 45 minutes on top of that a day and get every second Friday off. It is bloody brilliant one of the best things I have ever done in terms of work like balance.

Though now I am more of a big-wig in the Union I find it much harder to actually take my rota days....

I would highly recommend compressed hours shifts to people though.

I reduced my hours to 4 days a week a few years ago and my team and colleagues have always managed perfectly well without me on a Monday. It helps that my organisation has a flexible working policy and it's common for people to work compressed or reduced hours.

I had to write up a formal request paper at the outset, explaining my reasons and how I would ensure business as usual was not adversely affected. This included benefits to me from improved worklife balance leading to benefits to the organisation from my improved performance on the days I am in. I had to prove that there would be adequate cover across the team when I'm not in. I think I also emphasised strong organisational skills so I can plan around my reduced hours, and promised flexibility to change days if necessary for business reasons. In practice that rarely happens and it works better for everyone to stick to a standard pattern.

I thoroughly recommend a 3 day weekend. Go for it.

MC

thanks again! that's all really helpful (you know, there should be a collaborative entry in here somewhere...)

my organisation would, if they could, have everyone working 24/7 or at least on call when you're not in the office for 15 hours a day. I quite like the idea of a reduced lunch break - not sure if my lot would go for that but it's all worth a try (I figure that if I outline what would be totally perfect for me and give in on a few things it will seem more like a compromise on my part or something)

Monday and Friday are probably not acceptable, and I really fancy the Wednesdays off model (with flexibility for the Totally Holy Month End)

A question, because this is bound to come up: how do you calculate holidays? For eg. I get 30 days per year, so if I take a week now, it's 5 days. I'm assuming that I'd still take "5" days, but since I'm off on one of them, but still would have normally worked the full week if I had been there, the 5 days still counts. (I will need to explain this in very very tiny words because they aren't native English speakers and are very very afraid of people being on holiday)

Well for us we have annualised hours for leave, I get 210 hours a year (6 weeks at 35 hours a week... good old Unions!). So taking a single day off uses more than 1/5th of my ocntracted hours unfortunately.

On the flip side though by judiciously chosing my "whole weeks" off to be a week in which I am due a rota day I actually get a week off for less than 35 hours. Meaning I get to make my leave stretch further.

This obviously doesn't work on a 4 day week pattern. It just becomes a zero sum game when taking a week of, and if you take a single day it uses a greater portion of your leave than if you worked a normal shift. I'm afriad it is the unavoidable downside of compressed shift patterns.

I'd ask a part timer at work. However they do their leave (and I'd bet folding money it works on hours like ours) is probably how they would do yours.

FB

Hours calculation for my holidays too. I get a pro-rata holiday allowance based on 80% of a full time equivalent. Bank holidays also pro rata which works well for me as most Bank holidays are on my non-working day so I get to have some Bank Holiday Tuesfays instead. The holiday calculations are the most complicated part of the whole agreement.