HR professionals who are balancing busy work and lifestyles can find it hard to maintain a 40 hour work week or a work regimen that conforms to a standard 9-5 schedule.  For a variety of  reasons, more people not only prefer, but require a more flexible work schedule.  A key challenge is finding the best way to arrange a a flexible schedule, including getting management consent. Here are a few strategies to adotp when asking for a flexible work schedule.

Present different strategies that show how you will work.  Ernst & Young, which maintains programs for flex-time employees, offers a variety of options that you may want to present to your employer.  The first is to compress your workweek and fit a full time load into a fewer number of days. Alternately, you might elect to change the start and end time of your work day to fit your schedule. If you are unavailable for part of the year, work on a seasonal schedule. You might  job share with another person so that two people work as one. Finally, you could consider telecommuting.  Demonstrating you have thought through the process of how your flextime will work and how you plan to operate in a non-traditional environment will convey that you know what you are doing and are prepared to make it work.

Do not make it personal.  Businesses are generally more interested in productivity and  profitability over personal scheduling.  Making personal appeals as a basis for your need to maintain a flexible schedule may not be the lingua franca you need to make it work.  Personal details are ultimately unnecessary and should not be used to make your case when professional flexibility is what you have in mind.

Explain how this will help your productivity.  If you are having trouble being able to work a normal 9-5 day, explain how a flexible schedule is right for you.  This is a good time to highlight your past accomplishments and show how diligent a worker you have been in a variety of environments.  Also remind your employer that your job is not about the time you are on location, but the work you do.  If you can illustrate that you do better work or work of similar quality with different hours, then that is something worth highlighting.  At the end of the day, if an employer's option is to lose a talented employee or retain them on a flexible hours basis, businesses will likely choose to accommodate your wishes, and needs.