How to Write an Effective Email When Requesting a Flexible Work Arrangement

Gone are the days where the only place you could work out of was the office. Asking for a flexible work arrangement is no longer a taboo in the workplace, in fact a lot of companies and employees have greatly embraced it.

In this blog post, we will guide you on how to draft and email when requesting for a flexible work arrangement using a sample email, best practices and tips to get a favorable response. So let us begin.

Tips to Remember

• Before reaching out to your manager, understand your company’s policy on flexible work arrangements and if there are any details that you need to know before putting in a requests.
• Be very clear about what flexible arrangement will work for you and leave no ambiguities on that front. Give as much detail as applicable so that your manager/employer understands exactly what they are considering.
• Be flexible about your request and ensure you state that in your request email. Keeping options open for your employer/manager to fall back on will help you negotiate a favorable outcome.
• Highlight the benefits of implementing such a flexible work arrangement and how that would impact your productivity. It is your job to sell your manager on the idea of flexibility so that they are able to justify a favorable decision.

Best Practices

• Keep the tone of the email professional and be very polite especially when you are requesting something as important as a flexible work arrangement.
• Clearly state the request without ambiguities and give your manager alternative solutions incase the proposal does not fit the criteria of approval for whatever reason.
• Show your commitment to fulfilling your duties diligently during the flexible work arrangement period so that your manager is assured of quality output which will drastically increase the chances of your request being approved.
• Express gratitude to your manager/employer for considering your request for a flexible working hours because at a lot of companies these ideas are straight up ignored or condemned.

Sample Email Template for Requesting Flexible Work Arrangement

Subject Line: Request for Flexible Working Hours

Dear [Your Manager’s Name],

Hope you are doing well. I am writing this email to request some flexibility with the working hours due to [Explain the Reason].

Granting this request will [Explain the Benefits of the Arrangement to the Organization]. This is in addition to [Explain the Benefits to You].

I am fully committed to [Company/Team’s Name] and would strive to give my 100% even during the periods of flexible arrangement. I can assure you that there will be no compromise in the quality and quantity of my output.

In case this proposal does not work in our team’s best interest, here are some alternatives:

• [Alternate Proposal 1]
• [Alternate Proposal 2]

I would be happy to discuss these alternatives further if you are so inclined. I am super grateful to you for considering this request and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Regards,

[Your Name]

[Designation/Employee ID]

Conclusion

With the above mentioned best practices, tips and the sample email template, you can now draft a near perfect email requesting for a flexible work arrangement from your boss/manager.

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