Chances are that by now you’ve probably heard a lot about the Great Resignation, a mass movement by thousands of employees across the globe that involves quitting their jobs to pursue a more fulfilling, meaningful life. Spurred on by two years of working from home during the pandemic, and a general shortage of workers in local markets, there has never been a better time for employees to be able to either find a new job or negotiate a better way to work at their current role.

So many of us have re-evaluated our careers, and what work truly means to us over the last two years. Forced to slow down, many started to truly, deeply think about what was important to them; what they did and didn’t want. For literally hundreds of thousands of us, there has been a huge realisation of how wonderful flexible working is. Now, with employers asking employees to work in the office again, the ability to have more flexibility in our careers seems to be vanishing.

For those of you in this situation who are feeling frustrated at the “return to the office” dialogue, don’t lose heart- you don’t have to lose your flexibility! Your relationship with your manager is a partnership, and you have every right to voice your needs. I know it can feel scary, putting up your hand and asking for something, but I’ve got you! 

Here are some tips for talking to your employer about maintaining flexible work and better work-life balance.

Nail down (with clarity) what you want your work life to look like

What place does work have in your life? Do you want to be fully remote? Or do you want to have a hybrid-style work life balance? Make sure you know for sure how you want to work before you go and chat to your manager.

Be confident in the discussion, and back yourself

This is such an important step! To give yourself the best chance make sure you really do trust in yourself and what you want, make yourself a priority. If you confidently assert what you would like, chances are your boss will respect that!

Come prepared to discuss how this will benefit your manager

Another key step of the process! Your manager may be concerned about you missing out on culture or team connection if you keep working remotely, so be sure to come prepared to reassure them you will not! If you think they may raise some questions about continued productivity it would also help to have some stats handy on just how much you’ve crushed your work recently!

Allow for some extra time

Give your manager some time to get back to you and implement the flexibility. This may take a few weeks if they have to go up the chain.

If ultimately your boss won’t accommodate your request, and you feel stuck, then it’s time to reach out to your career bestie (Me!) and let’s find you an epic new role where the bosses do respect how flexibly you want to work!

Amie Duignan is a Career Coach, Headhunter, In-House Recruiter and Founder at A.D Connects.

This information is general in nature and has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness for the information to your own circumstances and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.