Many companies now support flexible work arrangements. Before making your request, check your employee handbook and speak to other colleagues who have successfully made flexible arrangements work.

Understand what concerns will arise and be prepared to offer a trial period so the employer can see how things go in practice.

1. Know Your Options

When considering flexible work arrangements, it's essential that you know all of your options. Review your employer's handbook and employment contract (if applicable ) in order to understand what's permissible and not. Speak with other colleagues who work flexibly about their experiences managing their schedules effectively.

Before choosing an arrangement that suits your situation, determine what arrangement would make the most sense for your circumstances. For instance, employees needing flexible hours due to children or medical issues may benefit from combining telework with job sharing. Be prepared to address potential objections or concerns that might arise about your proposed flexible working arrangement - for instance if an employer worries that productivity might decrease, suggest offering an initial trial period before proposing it as permanent solution.

Once you have decided which flexible working arrangement best meets your needs, make your request clearly known in writing. Doing this prevents any hints being dropped that may catch their boss off guard or appear out-of-the-blue and shows that this proposal has been carefully considered by you and them.

2. Be Prepared to Compromise

As when negotiating flexible work arrangements, finding solutions may not always be exactly as you hope; but finding solutions that still meet both your employer's and your own needs may still be possible. Before entering negotiations, it can be helpful to identify which aspects of your proposal you can compromise on in order to position yourself more strongly and present your case more persuasively.

As part of your negotiations, emphasize how any flexibility you require will also benefit the company and not just yourself. If you request working remotely on Thursdays, mention that it could save money by not maintaining as much physical office space and by enabling employees to utilize telecommuting technology for communication and project collaboration.

Prepare yourself to address any potential concerns your manager might have with regards to your new schedule. Be sure to demonstrate that you're committed to maintaining productivity and accountability by having regular in-person meetings or using project management software.

3. Be Transparent

When discussing flexible work arrangements with your boss, it's essential that you be upfront and upfront with him or her about why the change needs to occur and why this change will benefit the organization as a whole.

Be prepared with answers for any potential rebuttals from your employer, such as issues regarding productivity or communication among team members remotely. Discuss ways of addressing those concerns such as frequent virtual check-ins or moving meetings away from work hours.

As part of your negotiations process, it's also essential to emphasize the positive effect community engagement activities can have on your professional development and job satisfaction - both of which should not be compromised by the flexibility you seek. It would also be prudent to emphasize your willingness to continue working hard under any new arrangements so your employer knows you will still deliver high levels of performance; giving them confidence that approving your request would serve the organization in its best interest.

4. Be Creative

Consider carefully what kind of flexible work arrangement would best meet your needs; some employees may discover that a combination of various arrangements (telework and flex time, for instance) works better for them. Also try anticipating any possible objections your employer might raise against such arrangements and consider potential solutions or compromises to address any objections they raise.

Alternatively, if your employer is worried that working from home might not leave them as productive and available on the job, suggest regular check-ins with supervisors or collaboration tools that will ensure you remain engaged and accessible while also reminding them that a flexible work arrangement can lead to cost savings by decreasing office space requirements and utilities costs.

Gather any data or evidence you can present that proves flexible work arrangements have been successful in other workplaces and industries, to bolster your case and increase the odds that your boss will accept the arrangement. This can be a powerful weapon when convincing someone else of its merit.

5. Be Flexible

Many employees desire flexible work arrangements, yet many don't feel prepared to negotiate them with their employers. It can be helpful to discuss several possible solutions before approaching your boss and being prepared for whatever response comes their way.

As part of your proposed schedule, it's also essential that you understand which aspects are necessary and which you can forgo - for instance, picking up your child from school would be a legitimate reason for leaving early, while staying home all afternoon watching Ellen would not. Furthermore, document all interactions with employers (or supervisors), just in case their minds change later or you need to challenge their decisions later on.

Finally, ensure your request will benefit both yourself and the company equally. Show them how the new schedule will save them both time or money and they are much more likely to say yes; doing this also prevents you from sounding like an unreasonable demander - for instance working from home two days per week would allow you to serve clients in another time zone without losing them or paying overtime rates.