Struggling to balance daycare pickup with working 9-5, Lucas Swineford, Executive Director of Digital Education, was inspired by his then supervisor Linda Koch Lorimer, former Vice President of Globalization and Strategic Initiatives, to pursue a flexible work arrangement. “If you stress about family, you will not be focused on work,” Lorimer advised. The solution? Swineford would leave work 20 minutes early then reconnect with Lorimer in the evening once he was done with family time.
Swineford was one of three panelists who shared their experiences with flexible work arrangements at a Peer to Peer luncheon on June 22nd. A flexible work arrangement is a schedule agreed upon between a supervisor and employee where the employee does work either outside the office or outside regular work hours to accommodate different personal commitments such as school, family, or commuting.
Not just for parents, flexible work arrangements can help employees lead more well rounded lives. “When we indulge in passions outside of work, it feeds back into our work and our team,” Swineford said. “When you remove yourself from routine, big ideas happen.”
When presented with a promotion, Rebekah Melville, Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of MBA Admissions at School of Management, negotiated a flexible work arrangement. Now she works 80% of her time in office and 2 hours/night from home. Although some of her work is best done in office, she was able to justify the work she can do from home and now supports employees who do the same.
Stacy Wilson, Ph.D., Director of the Imaging Core Facility in Neurology, has taken two maternity leaves and is planning a third. Her job doesn’t lend itself to work from home, but she has negotiated her maternity leaves so that she takes three months off, works 3 days/week for her first month back, then returns to full time. During her leaves, she hires postdocs and grads to do snippets of her job. Wilson recognizes that her managers have agreed to the part time arrangement because it’s short term.
Here are the key takeaways from our panelists.
Employees:
- Be realistic about whether a flexible arrangement is possible for your job. If your primary role is service, it may not be.
- Use quantifiable metrics to how what work you can do from home.
- Be a good negotiator, or put your time in and earn your stripes. Once people know your work, you’ve earned it.
- Know your negotiating position and that you hold the cards. Don’t discount how important you are to the organization.
- Propose the arrangement as a short term pilot program to begin.
- Maintain a regular check-in system with your supervisor to stay connected.
- Respect your arrangement and uphold your end.
Managers:
- Acknowledge that not everyone’s workload fits into the traditional work day, and not all work is best done in the office.
- Set deadlines and trust employees.
- Adjusting an employee’s schedule by even 15 minutes can make a difference.
- Know that individuals who have time to pursue their passions and live well-rounded lives are more productive and fulfilled.
For more information on Yale’s policy on Flexible Work Arrangements, see Human Resource’s Worklife program.
The next Peer to Peer luncheon “New to New Haven” will take place in the fall. If you have an idea for a Peer to Peer luncheon or would like to take the lead on coordinating one, please contact fly@yale.edu.