At Digital Mums we hear on a daily basis from students about how they’ve had their flexible working requests turned down. And those who do manage to convince their employer often end up having their role completely ‘redesigned’...
This is one of the main issues we wanted to address with our Clean up the F word campaign - flexible working is too often seen as a dirty word by businesses.
Based on feedback from our community and our own research, we know that requesting flexible work or a change to the status quo can be daunting. Where do you start? How do you make a good case for it? It can feel like there's only one shot at getting it right, which can seriously ramp up the pressure and make it hard to maintain your confidence.
In our brand new course the Digital Retox we put together The Digital Mums’ Guide to 'How to ask for Flexible Work'. In it we break down exactly what the process for asking for flexible work should be. The fundamentals?
1. Define your ideal outcome: Really nail down what work that works means for you and what type of flexibility you're after.
2. Demonstrate your value: Make a convincing case that you are a real asset to the business and they would be foolish to risk losing you.
3. Prepare your defense: Expect push back and prepare for it.
4. Practice: Make sure to role play in advance to get your confidence up.
5. Mean business: Dress, act and speak in the right way.
6. Trial it out: If in doubt suggest a trial period and a review at the end of it.
Have a watch below - you may even recognise some of the actors!
If you're looking for a confidence boost, a digital skills reboot and a way of getting your workplace mojo back then I definitely recommend checking out our new Digital Retox training programme.
Kathryn and I created Digital Retox in response to conversations with mums who told us they felt like the digital revolution was passing them by, both inside and outside the workplace.
We've built a course to help demystify digital and empower women with the confidence to return to the workplace or to refresh their current skill set so they can make positive changes in their current role. And because training only takes 3-6 hours a week, it’s really easy to fit in alongside work or parenting commitments.
To find out more information about our Digital Retox you can email [email protected] or click here to find out more.
