How to Handle Losing Your Flexible Work Schedule

How to Handle Losing Your Flexible Work ScheduleHow to Handle Losing Your Flexible Work Schedule2If this has happened to you recently, we have a plan for you that doesnt involveyou quitting. The plan will take some thought and much personal energy so that you can end up with the type of lifestyle you want. So before you go and quit your job, take a deep breath and start following these five steps.Describe your working lifestyle.Write down the answers to the following questionsHow does your work flexibility affectyour work performance?If an answer doesnt come to you right away, think about how work welches before your work flexibility was implemented.What challenges did you face that you no longer struggle with?After you started your flexible work schedule, how did it improve your work?Are there any big changes that occurred after you started your flexible work schedule? To help you determine this, dig up your performance reviews from before your flex-work schedule and after to compar e.On a personal note, how has it helped you manage your personal life better?What are three key things your work flexibility enables you to do, and why are thoseimportant to you?After you answer these questions, youll know why your work flexibility schedule is good for you. Youll understand why you value it and why it needs to be a priority in your professional and personal life. This understanding is the foundation youll build your case on to get your work flexibility back.Dealing withemotions.While you are working on the questions above, you are going to have to put your emotions aside.There will be a time when you need to pack up your anger or sadness so that you can continue to do your best at work. In your mind put these emotions in a compartment, or a box, and push them to the side so you can concentrate. There is still work to be done regardless of what management is doing to your lifestyle. Compartmentalizing your emotions will help you get through tough days of change.When the time is right you can unbox your emotions and get back to work laying the foundation of your case to get a flex-work schedule. If you dont unbox your emotions,you are allowing the situation to cause you more hurt.When you unbox your anger and sadness, let the emotions roll through you so they can pass. Then you can move on and take action in order to make achange.When youre at home and away from work, you can unbox your emotions and get back to work laying the foundation foryour case to get a flex-work schedule.Find out why.At this point, youre not as emotional about the change in schedule and can truly listen to an explanation. When you sit down with your manager, view this as a fact-finding mission and get some answers. Why did management make this decision? What does your boss think of it? Did human resourceshave any say in the decision? How will this change make a positive effect on the work the team does?Create your case and then present it.First, you determined why a flexi ble work schedule is important to you. Next, you got the business side of the story. Now its time to make your voice be heard. If you struggle with confrontation, follow the A-E-I-O-U model when preparing your case. It could go something like thisAcknowledge I understand that the business reason why the flexible work schedule was taken was because transsumpt the business reason that will result in positive results that you discovered during your detective work.Express I feel that the flexible work schedule Ive been following for the past decade has helped my work performance because insert here the foundation of your proposal you discovered while discovering your work lifestyle.Identify I would like to propose a compromise of some sort, perhaps only working from home two days per week.Outline Here is how I see a flexible work schedule benefiting both the company and myself insert details of your proposal here.UnderstandInstead of abandoning a flexible work schedule, Id like it if we could come to a compromise and use my proposed schedule instead. What do you think?This model should give you a five-minute speech that will demonstrate your knowledge of the business decision, how you feel about it, and what kind of compromise you are looking for.Explore your options.If you have exhausted all of your options at your current company and you just cant tolerate the change in your schedule, it mightbe time for a change. You are at the right place if flexibility is one of your top personal and professional values.Check out your line of work on and begin researching the companies that you find. You might be surprised by what you find.Youll never know what else is out there until you look and see for yourself.Readers, what advice would you give others about asking for a flexible work arrangement? Let us know in the comments below.