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Personally, I believe a flexible work schedule is a privilege. I think it's a great thing and I think that it's totally fine to work non-standard hours, but I a

Personally, I believe a flexible work schedule is a privilege. I think it's a great thing and I think that it's totally fine to work non-standard hours, but I also think that if you are going to make the choice to not be in the office during core hours (I'd consider 9-5 "core" but I think companies should define this) then it's also your responsibility to be available during those core hours when it's necessary. If a meeting needs to be held at 3 (which is a completely reasonable meeting time within core hours) and you need to be at that meeting then I think it's on you to make accommodations for that by having someone else pick up your kids that day or making some other arrangements since it's your choice to work a nonstandard schedule. Same goes for a 9am meeting and someone who comes in at 11am. In a work environment where employees can make their own schedule I think having "core hours" where every employee is expected to be available at least sometimes is totally reasonable since otherwise your personal schedule is going to be negatively affecting your job performance, and that's a personal responsibility issue, not a job issue.

czep 10y ago
> Personally, I believe a flexible work schedule is a privilege. I'd like to challenge this, if you'll bear with me. I am not a cog in a machine, I'm not performing mindless repetitive tasks. My work requires exacting concentration and the liberty to set aside large blocks of uninterrupted time in order to be fully productive. I will spin this around: personally, I believe my company should feel privileged to have me work for them. Don't dare tell me I should grovel and feel grateful to my masters allowing me the privilege of a flexible work schedule. Why would they purposely enact counter-productive tactics that would not enable me to perform this work most efficiently? In full disclosure, I do have one standing meeting one day a week at 4pm. On that day my partner will handle the daycare pickup. So I am not categorically opposed to later meetings. What I get upset about is being asked at noon to join a meeting at 4pm on the same day. It is impossible to make the necessary arrangements with such short notice. That's when I get snarky and say how about 5am tomorrow. I understand that by convention it's reasonable to expect people to available during usual 9-5 hours. But don't use the language of "personal responsibility issue" with me about this. I will not allow any implication that I am being irresponsible or slacking off work simply because my schedule demands that I typically leave work at 3pm. It is deeply offensive to me because as I already said, I work my ass off and am far more productive than I used to be when I worked 10-7.
- WhitneyLand 10y ago
  In principle I agree with you (see my other comment), but would also suggest that what you're doing requires a bit more communication. For example, making sure all of your managers are totally bought in. If you were dinged as unresponsive, probably at least one person wasn't fully bought in or clear on the terms, right? Same with your team, they should be able to see clearly on your calendar what times are blocked out. And there should be a note taped near your desk. And maybe an auto responder during off hours explaining how you can best help them. Did I mention that even after syncing with managers on this, you'll probably have to periodically refresh their memory for as long as you work there? Nothing at all wrong with what you're doing, but setting expectations is so important and requires diligence.
  - czep 10y ago
    Thank you, that is excellent advice. I didn't consider the utility of ongoing communication and you're absolutely right about setting appropriate expectations with everyone, especially those I may not deal with on a daily basis. Diplomacy is better than defensiveness. I do want people to know that I'm accessible, and should do a better job of spreading that message.
- Zelmor 10y ago
  I'm with czep on this one.
WhitneyLand 10y ago
I call bullshit - This sounds like you are defining artificial constraints based on what fits your personal experiences and preferences. The imperative is to hire and retain superior talent. If you're going after a top performer and they say right up front "I'm interested but can you work with me on a bit on scheduling?", usually the correct answer is yes. Even if it were an easy to fill a position my inclination would be to try and accommodate the person. It gives you a chance to pay it forward at very little cost to you. This is what good leaders do - they find ways to attract great people and motivate them by building a foundation of goodwill.
gr33nman 10y ago
I think this is good advice in the context of the OP's current situation. However, the concept of "core hours" is a somewhat outdated legacy of industrialization, and is of questionable value in the knowledge economy, with all of the innovations in communication available to us now. For example, many companies employ foreign workers who are not around during "core hours", and while it presents challenges for communication, companies that are motivated find ways to make it work. I suspect that companies able to be flexible about where, when and how much employees work will have a competitive advantage in the next decade.

czep 10y ago

> Personally, I believe a flexible work schedule is a privilege. I'd like to challenge this, if you'll bear with me. I am not a cog in a machine, I'm not performing mindless repetitive tasks. My work requires exacting concentration and the liberty to set aside large blocks of uninterrupted time in order to be fully productive. I will spin this around: personally, I believe my company should feel privileged to have me work for them. Don't dare tell me I should grovel and feel grateful to my masters allowing me the privilege of a flexible work schedule. Why would they purposely enact counter-productive tactics that would not enable me to perform this work most efficiently? In full disclosure, I do have one standing meeting one day a week at 4pm. On that day my partner will handle the daycare pickup. So I am not categorically opposed to later meetings. What I get upset about is being asked at noon to join a meeting at 4pm on the same day. It is impossible to make the necessary arrangements with such short notice. That's when I get snarky and say how about 5am tomorrow. I understand that by convention it's reasonable to expect people to available during usual 9-5 hours. But don't use the language of "personal responsibility issue" with me about this. I will not allow any implication that I am being irresponsible or slacking off work simply because my schedule demands that I typically leave work at 3pm. It is deeply offensive to me because as I already said, I work my ass off and am far more productive than I used to be when I worked 10-7.

WhitneyLand 10y ago
In principle I agree with you (see my other comment), but would also suggest that what you're doing requires a bit more communication. For example, making sure all of your managers are totally bought in. If you were dinged as unresponsive, probably at least one person wasn't fully bought in or clear on the terms, right? Same with your team, they should be able to see clearly on your calendar what times are blocked out. And there should be a note taped near your desk. And maybe an auto responder during off hours explaining how you can best help them. Did I mention that even after syncing with managers on this, you'll probably have to periodically refresh their memory for as long as you work there? Nothing at all wrong with what you're doing, but setting expectations is so important and requires diligence.
- czep 10y ago
  Thank you, that is excellent advice. I didn't consider the utility of ongoing communication and you're absolutely right about setting appropriate expectations with everyone, especially those I may not deal with on a daily basis. Diplomacy is better than defensiveness. I do want people to know that I'm accessible, and should do a better job of spreading that message.
Zelmor 10y ago
I'm with czep on this one.

WhitneyLand 10y ago

I call bullshit - This sounds like you are defining artificial constraints based on what fits your personal experiences and preferences. The imperative is to hire and retain superior talent. If you're going after a top performer and they say right up front "I'm interested but can you work with me on a bit on scheduling?", usually the correct answer is yes. Even if it were an easy to fill a position my inclination would be to try and accommodate the person. It gives you a chance to pay it forward at very little cost to you. This is what good leaders do - they find ways to attract great people and motivate them by building a foundation of goodwill.

gr33nman 10y ago

I think this is good advice in the context of the OP's current situation. However, the concept of "core hours" is a somewhat outdated legacy of industrialization, and is of questionable value in the knowledge economy, with all of the innovations in communication available to us now. For example, many companies employ foreign workers who are not around during "core hours", and while it presents challenges for communication, companies that are motivated find ways to make it work. I suspect that companies able to be flexible about where, when and how much employees work will have a competitive advantage in the next decade.