Benefits for employers and workers are widely documented. Employers benefit when employees work hours and times when they can get the most done. Employees who avoid challenging commutes and have the opportunity to easily handle situations at home without interfering with work are generally happier and more productive. It’s a win-win.

However, you don’t want to get complacent, even if you work most of the time from home or come into the office at odd hours. Keep in mind, even though more and more employers are embracing flexible work arrangements, it’s still up to you to manage your career. You don’t want to be “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes time for promotions or special opportunities you may welcome as part of your professional development. Keep the following tips in mind to maintain effective communication so you remain visible on a flexible schedule and can move forward with your professional goals.

Maintain Relationships
Even if you don’t see your colleagues or supervisor in the office or socialize around the water cooler, make a point to keep in touch and keep up with information you’d be privy to as a regular in the office. This will take extra effort on your part. Make a point to pick up the phone and speak to your colleagues, even if it isn’t necessary for work. If someone is celebrating a special event in the office, consider making a trip in to attend. You’ll help keep yourself top-of-mind when people see your face at events.

Work Regular Hours
Even though your work arrangements may be technically “flexible,” make sure you keep teammates posted so they know what hours you are available on a regular basis. They need to know when they can expect easy access to you, even when you are working from home. Keeping regular hours that your colleagues can count on will make it easier for them to schedule meetings you can attend remotely. If you’re working a chaotic schedule, don’t expect your teammates to make the effort to arrange meetings or events around you.

Demonstrate Flexibility
While you benefit from flexibility, ironically, your best tool to make sure the arrangement works and doesn’t derail your career is being flexible yourself. This can be challenging, as you’ll likely set up your outside of work life around your scheduled hours. However, there will be times when you may need to inconvenience yourself and work outside of those hours to accommodate an event or important call or meeting. If you don’t want to find yourself in a dead-end job, do it willingly, and expect your colleagues will be more likely to work harder to accommodate you another time.

Use Technology
With online tools and applications, you can almost make your colleagues feel like you are a part of their daily interactions, without leaving your remote office. If they are not already using video conferencing and teleconferences, make it your business to keep abreast of new tools that could help make it easier for you to maintain your flexible work arrangement while keeping plugged into what’s going on in the office.

More advice:
Gross workplace habits you avoid when you work from home
How can you make mistakes work for you?
What NOT to do if you want to make a good impression at work

Originally posted at AOLJobs.com.

The post How to succeed when you work from home appeared first on Keppie Careers.

A 2011 national Harris Interactive study conducted on behalf of Mom Corps  found that 42 percent of working adults were willing to give up some percent of their salary in exchange for more flexible work options.

In honor of National Telework Week, I tapped Allison Oâ€Kelly, founder/CEO of Mom Corps, a national flexible staffing firm dedicated to connecting progressive employers with professionals seeking flexible work and Cali Williams Yost, CEO of the Flex+Strategy Group / Work+Life Fit Inc. and author of Work+Life: Finding the Fit Thatâ€s Right for You for 10 tips to help you identify and land a flexible job:

1. Decide what flexibility means for you.

2. Focus on your skills. What do you offer?

3. Specialize. Identify several specialty areas in your skills and accomplishments.

4. Research organizations and learn where youâ€re likely to be most successful and happy. Yost suggests investigating the 2012 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work, by Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management, Working Motherâ€s Top Employers list and The Flex Pages. You may also want to investigate organizations dedicated to helping people find flexible work, such as Mom Corps. If you are planning to re-enter the workforce after taking time off, another resource is iRelaunch.

5. Plan ahead; be realistic. Donâ€t try to fit a square peg in a round hole.

6. Know the right questions to ask – and what answers mean.

7. Be open to temporary positions.

8. Prepare to use technology. “Video will make remote work more personal.” 

9. Prepare your workspace. What if you land the perfect flexible arrangement tomorrow? Are you ready to start work right away – from your own home office, a co-working space or another site you arrange?

10. Donâ€t sell yourself short. Even in this economy, itâ€s still possible to land flexible work opportunities. In fact, a  Flexpaths – LinkedIn Virtual Think Tanks study attests that hiring managers believe flexible work arrangements are important if they want to stay competitive for top employees.

Read all the details and advice at my U.S. News & World Report piece.

photo by Pulpolux !!!

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The study was significant because, of the 45 participants in the research groups, 24 were managing directors or CEOs (mostly from companies with 200-700 employees) and 16 were senior Human Resources leaders (mostly from companies with over 1,000 employees).

It’s not surprising to learn that a commonality between all of the companies represented was an array of  cultural obstacles to embracing a truly flexible workplace. Even defining “flexible work” was a challenge. Participants suggested several approaches, including:

• Flexibility Around “When” – working non-traditional hours and compressed workweeks
• Flexibility Around “Where” – involving telecommuting/telework
• Flexibility Around “How Much” – inviting workers to share job hours, reducing hours in exchange for less pay, sabbaticals, etc.
• Flexibility Around “How” – incorporating freelance and contract workers

Few of the think tank participants had formal policies to govern flexible work, but a main impetus for making flexibility a part of their plans was “attracting and retaining top talent.” The study notes, “Several (participants) remarked upon how saving even a couple of high performers from leaving had more than paid for their flexible work initiatives.”

Additionally, several CEOs noted they want to attract the best Generation Y talent, which is driving their interest in a flexible workplace. Some saw a shift in their approach to flexibility as being customer service focused and others acknowledged that having flexibility helped engage workers.

A majority of participants expect flexible work arrangements to be an important factor to remaining competitive, suggesting “significant increases in the proportion of their workforces that would be engaging in flexible work” by 2015. Some thought it would be as high as 80% of their workforce, but most predicted around 50% of their employees may take advantage of flexible work options by that time. (Compared to 25% currently.)

No doubt, significant changes will be necessary to achieve those percentages, as participants recognized that flexible work appeals to a lot of workers, but  “employees are afraid that requesting flexible work will jeopardize their career opportunities.”

Barriers to a truly flexible workplace mentioned in the study include:

• Fear of lost control and lack of trust (on the employer’s part)
• Losing a team spirit (if people don’t work face-to-face)
• Legal issues
• Measuring success and rewarding results – how to manage flexible workers without sacrificing quality

(The entire whitepaper is available at the end of this post for your review.)

If a flexible work arrangement appeals to you, here are some tips from Cali Williams Yost, author of Work+Life: Finding the Fit Thatâ€s Right for You (Riverhead, Penguin Group, 2005):

Three Fool-Proof Tips for Making Flexible Work a Success

Tip 1: Donâ€t expect your manager to come up with a solution. Start the conversation with him or her by presenting a clear flexibility plan that specifies the:

• Type of flexibility you are proposing
• How the work will get done (not “why” you want flexibility—it doesnâ€t matter)
• How the business will benefit from your plan, and
• When the plan will be reviewing (e.g. initially 90 days; annually thereafter)

(Step-by-step guide to create a win-win flexibility plan guaranteed to get a fair hearing: “Work+Life: Finding the Fit Thatâ€s Right for You” by Cali Williams Yost.)

Tip 2: Remember that itâ€s your job to (over) communicate with your boss, your team and your clients.

When you are out-of-sight because either you work from home or work flexible, non-traditional hours, be mindful of consistent accessibility and reliability:

• If you arenâ€t immediately reachable, make it a priority to check messages regularly and respond in a timely manner.
• Initiate a “check in” by email, IM or phone once or twice during the day with your team or your manager to see if there is anything you need to be aware of. Most likely there wonâ€t be, but they will appreciate the extra effort.
• Each week, put together one-page of highlights of accomplishments. In todayâ€s economy, we should all have a record of what weâ€ve done…not just flex workers! It comes in handy when negotiating for a raise or promotion.

Tip 3: Be flexible with your flexibility.

Nothing causes a manager or a coworker to lose patience with your flexibility faster than a consistent unwillingness to periodically “go the extra mile.” If thereâ€s an unexpected deadline and itâ€s your time to leave, offer to stay now and then. If youâ€re scheduled to work from home, offer to come into the office if itâ€s the only day a client can meet.

Taking the initiative, being conscientious and going the extra mile (from time to time), are small actions that go a long way to making your flexibility work for everyone.

ABOUT FLEXPATHS LLC

FlexPaths® is a leading global provider of web-based software solutions and advisory services that help companies create and leverage a flexible working culture. You can find them on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

ABOUT CALI WILLIAMS YOST

Cali is the CEO of the Flex+Strategy Group / Work+Life Fit, Inc., a flexibility strategy consulting firm. In addition to her book, Work+Life: Finding the Fit Thatâ€s Right for You (Riverhead/Penguin Group, 2005), Yost created the award-winning Work+Life Fit blog, and is an expert blogger for FastCompany.com. You can follow her on Twitter @caliyost.

Flexpaths & LinkedIn Present Think Tank Findings, Flexible Work: Perceptions & Realities

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