Discussing Flexibility

This is always a tricky topic to bring up.  Whether you want to be able to work from home a few days a week, work 7am-4pm to avoid rush-hour traffic, or take a 2 hour "lunch" to pick up your child from daycare and drop them off at home.  These are things to take into consideration when looking for a new opportunity.

When you approach the conversation of flexibility in the workplace depends on your situation.

If your situation absolutely requires flexibility (ie: your child gets off from school at 2:30pm and needs to be picked up and dropped off at grandma's at 3pm), it is best to bring this up almost immediately.  While the position seems to have been written for you, the manager may want their ideal candidate to be "butt in seat, 9-5, everyday".  It will be better, for all parties, to know up front whether or not this opportunity will be a fit for you.

However, if you are simply curious about the flexibility perks, my suggestion is to wait until you have an offer in hand.  Casually bring it up as a "curiosity", and use their answer to help you make your decision on their offer.

Remember, as much as the company is interviewing you, you are interviewing them.  As much as some of us like to believe that our careers lead our lives, that isn't always the truth.  Take a step back and evaluate your life, needs, and career.  The best fit for you will be the company that can fulfill all aspects that you are looking for.

And, as always... I'm all ears!

Working from Home (WFH)

I think companies should start looking providing this option to employees for a number of reasons.  While many employers fear the loss of control they have over their WFH employees, it's quite the opposite.  Let me explain.  As an employer, you have full trust and confidence in your employee and allow them to work from home when needed -- or all the time.  In turn, your employee feels like a trusted member of the team and ends up producing at levels beyond your expectations.  It is a win-win situation.  

Obviously, there are some drawbacks like maintaining culture or camaraderie.  But, from experience, that's nothing a weekly video conference call can't help.  A majority of my teammates are remote, but they are some of the best colleagues I have ever worked with in my professional career.

How many of you are more efficient working from home (WFH)?  I most certainly am.  I get more quality work done, am more focused, and have far less distractions.  

A huge plus: I can load the dishwasher in the 5 minutes of downtime I have.