How to ask an employer about flexible working without explicitly asking

Being capable to enactment flexibly is 1 of the astir sought-after requirements for workers. As galore arsenic 8.7 cardinal full-time workers accidental they privation to enactment flexibly, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Yet, lone 31% of occupation adverts successful the UK overtly connection immoderate signifier of flexible moving astatine the hiring stage.

Although employers whitethorn beryllium reluctant to advertise jobs arsenic flexible, this doesn’t needfully mean it’s retired of the question. If you don’t ask, you don’t get — and being up beforehand astir your needs tin wage off.

Sometimes, though, asking if you tin enactment flexible hours oregon enactment from location tin pb to favoritism from hiring managers.

So what tin you bash to find retired if an leader is unfastened to flexible working, without explicitly asking?

Read more: Are enactment coaches the reply to get radical backmost into the workplace?

Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO and co-founder of aboriginal of enactment experts Flexa, says the cardinal is to find retired much astir a company’s culture.

You tin glean a batch astir the situation of an organisation by the connection utilized successful occupation interviews.

“Even if your interviewer doesn’t notation a circumstantial moving determination oregon hours, you’re inactive apt to observe a batch from their response,” says Johnson-Jones.

“For example, if they notation giving employees ‘freedom’, ‘autonomy’ and ‘trust’, it whitethorn bespeak that the institution goes retired of their mode to facilitate flexibility. They’ve created a civilization wherever unit consciousness genuinely encouraged and capable to marque usage of what’s connected offer.”

However, if the interviewer uses words similar "structured" oregon "traditional" it whitethorn bespeak that unit are tied to a much rigid schedule. “References to ‘on-site collaboration’ are besides a wide indicator that immoderate level of in-person enactment volition beryllium required,” says Johnson-Jones.

“You should besides beryllium wary of descriptors similar ‘fast-paced’ and ‘demanding’, if work-life equilibrium is simply a precedence for you,” she adds. “It’s often codification for agelong hours, and could bespeak the beingness of a hustle civilization mentality.”

It’s besides utile to find retired however the organisation measures show — and what occurrence looks similar successful the role.

“Words similar ‘proactive’ and ‘self-motivated’ are what you privation to perceive if you’re looking for much autonomy,” says Johnson-Jones. “Similarly, if the hiring manager talks astir wanting radical who tin prioritise effectively, it implies employees are fixed immoderate level of state to negociate their ain time.”

The effect to this question tin uncover whether employees person acceptable hours, oregon if they tin flex their workdays to suit their needs and commitments, similar doing the schoolhouse run.