Key to Developing an FWA Proposal Form |
1.
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How might this
proposed arrangement
allow you to maintain or improve your
individual
performance?
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Explain how your proposed arrangement will enable you to do your job
at least as well or better than you
are doing it now.
Be specific. Will it help you: |
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- have more focused quiet time to produce better work
- reach hard-to catch people either earlier or later in the day
- increase the quantity or quality of work you can do
- be more creative?
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Ask colleagues
on FWAs for their experience and how it
has improved their job
performance.
Provide
evidence of how your past performance shows your ability to
manage yourself on your proposed FWA.
For instance,
mention your ability to work without a lot of
supervision or your ability to meet deadlines.
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| Sample
response to this question:
"I
have always been results-oriented, not
time-oriented. On a compressed workweek schedule
I will still be working full time and expect to
be able to accomplish at least the same amount
that I do now, if not more, in approximately the
same number of hours. This schedule would allow me to continue working with West
Coast customers beyond our usual East Coast
workday and would decrease the number of callers
who have to leave messages.
In addition, I would be able to schedule personal
appointments on the day I am not in the office
rather than disrupt my work time. I could also use the quieter morning hours at the beginning
of the day to do overall planning.
I will, of course, work overtime when necessary, as I do
now. |
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2.
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How might this
proposed
arrangement
add value to Our Companys work?
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Beyond your being able to get your job done, provide examples of
any broader gains for Our Company that you think will flow from
your proposed FWA.
Give specific examples, such as:
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-
increased revenue
- decreased real estate costs
- enhanced customer service
- lowered payroll costs
- retention of highly-talented employees
- increased morale
- decreased absenteeism
- reduced tardiness
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| Sample
response for this question:
"My
part-time schedule will allow cross-training of
one or more junior employees, offering
developmental opportunities and trained
resources for times when our work demands it.
One of Our Company goals is to have more
mentoring and this will aid that. Also, I am
willing to share my office to help alleviate our
space crunch. |
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3.
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What
challenges could the proposed arrangement
raise with: a) your manager
b)
your team or coworkers c) your internal customers
and d) your external
customers? |
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For each of these groups think through how your FWA would alter
your working together.
Identify possible problems, such as:
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-
not available on certain days or hours
- difficulty covering peak times
- more
difficulty holding team meetings
- ability
of manager to informally assess performance
- fewer
opportunities for informal networking
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Consider talking with people who might be affected by your
change in schedule to see what problems occur to them.
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| Sample
response for "a"
of this
question:
"Challenge
for my team: I wont be scheduled to be in the
office on Mondays and thats the day of our
team meeting.
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4.
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What
solution(s) would you propose to overcome each of the challenges
raised in question 3?
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For each group listed in question 3, provide concrete solutions
for any problems listed.
Ideally, provide several possible solutions for each problem.
Suggest ways to meet the needs of the organization as well as
the individuals.
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| Sample
response for part
"a" of this question:
"Three
possibilities: 1)
take part in the meeting by phone; 2) explore
taking a different day off; 3) ask team if
they would like to change Monday meetings to
Tuesday. (I have heard team members talk about
that in the past.)
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5.
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What
deliverables and measurements (qualitative and quantitative) do
you
propose that you and your manager use to assess your
performance?
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Incorporate any FWA goals into your performance expectations
document or develop explicit goals for effectively performing
your job.
Include a timeline for delivering key pieces of work.
Define with your manager the characteristics and behaviors that
constitute excellent performance in
your job.
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| Sample
response for this question:
As
I do now, I will rely on the goals, objectives
and timeline that are part of Our Company's
performance evaluation as my basic metrics.
The only change in my goals because of the
FWA
would be
to add a goal about cross-training a junior
employee.
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6.
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What review process do you propose that you and your
manager use to constructively monitor and improve your
flexible work arrangement?
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Develop a review process that includes a timeline and specific
standards for assessing the
effectiveness of your FWA.
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| Sample
response for this question:
I propose to meet with my manager six weeks and
three months after I start telecommuting to
assess how well the arrangement is working for
both the business and myself.
Before these meetings I would informally survey my
coworkers and customers to identify any concerns
about my accessibility on telecommuting days.
My manager and I would review any impacts on others and
decide if any changes might need to be made.
After this we can review the arrangement
quarterly for the rest of the year.
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7.
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What
would be one or more warning signs that this arrangement isnt
working?
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Think about what you think would be the "worst-case
scenarios" and respond to them.
Look at your responses to Question 3.
Try to assess at what point any negative effects might
make the arrangement unworkable.
Highlight the signs that would characterize failure.
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| Sample
response for this question:
"I
will know that my arrangement is unsuccessful if my coworkers
or customers feel that I am inaccessible. If that happens, I
will analyze what is happening and adjust my modes of
communication or I will modify my work schedule." |
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