Time – the ability to control when and how much I work:

1. Part of a Great Job: A less-than-full-time job (e.g., a 75%, 80%, 90% job) with pro-rated salary, benefits, advancement and workload with no reduction in challenge or status of the position. Variations: fewer hours worked each day, each week (e.g., a day off) or month, or working full-time for 8 months and off for 2 months, etc.
2. Occasional/informal flexibility. To change work hours occasionally or when emergencies arise – without penalty or getting formal approval; authority to work out coverage with co-workers.
3. To work a non-standard work schedule. Non-standard hours (to set my own work hours) or a compressed work week (e.g., 3-12 hours days, 4-10 hour days or 9 8.5-hour days with every 10th day off, etc.
4. Job Share. Sharing the responsibility and compensation of one job with a work partner.
5. To move from full-time to reduced work hours and back again over a career without significant penalty to advancement, job security or quality of assignments.
6. To be able to trade bonus or salary for more time off.
7. To be able to take earned vacations and earned time off for rest without penalty.
8. To have a real choice whether to participate in after-hours business obligations.
9. A paid time off bank and/or paid family and medical leave.
10. The right to choose when/whether to work overtime, to travel for business, etc.
11. Freedom to exchange shifts with a co-worker.
12. Phased retirement – to work less than full-time for a period of time prior to retirement.
13. Sane work hours. No expectation of long hours as a consistent practice.

Place – Greater Choice and Control Over Where I Work

1. Partial Telecommuting. To work part of the time from home or a satellite office: to work one or two days a week or just occasionally – you need to wait for the plumber or your spouse/child is sick or because you can concentrate better and finish a report.
2. Fulltime remote work. To work from anywhere – permanently or occasionally. (Virtual/remote/ telework: for whatever reason, e.g., to travel with your spouse/partner, be with an ailing parent recovering from surgery, etc. and do work remotely, accessible via email or phone.)
3. To control travel – more say over how much and when to travel for business.
4. Limits to 24/7 availability. To set boundaries on availability – to limit 24/7 availability via email, etc. without penalty.
5. To be measured based on results, rather than how much I work or whether a manager can ‘see me working’.

How I Work – the freedom and authority to work in a way that is best for me to produce results.

1. A manageable workload
2. Authority to streamline my own work and eliminate tasks that are a waste of time.
3. Less pressure, fewer artificial deadlines, clarified expectations so I have a sense of what to expect and can plan.
4. Downshift – to a position with less managerial responsibility, intense pace or constant deadline pressure.
5. Authority to negotiate with team members – for work solutions, coverage, etc.

My Career – the ability to have different employment relationships without it affecting my career

1. The ability to customize my career path, e.g., to leave and come back without penalty or to work on short term assignments as a consultant or contractor if I choose temporarily.
2. Project work – stand-alone short term assignments.

The Climate/Culture of the Organization – ‘How things are done around here’

1. An atmosphere that makes it legitimate to raise personal requirements in business decisions, e.g., to discuss outside obligations when scheduling team meetings.
2. A performance-based culture in which employees and managers are judged on their contribution -- on results, not on politics or face time.
3. A culture that values people as individuals and rewards employees and managers who protect their well-being, rather than sacrificing themselves to their work.
4. Leaders and managers who value employees having greater autonomy about how, when and where they work, who are good role models and who support this style of working in their decisions about the business.
5. Managers and coworkers who can work flexibly and appreciate the value of a flexible work environment.
6. All employees and leaders judged fairly, held accountable and given rewards appropriate to each person’s contribution.
7. An organization whose values I feel good about.
8. A smart organization that is poised to be successful in what it does.
9. Teams, coworkers and managers trained to work in a flexible environment; employees working in varied places and schedules are well integrated.
10. An emphasis on giving employees and work teams greater choice, control, and authority -- not replacing one rigid schedule with another.

None of these should involve a penalty for working flexibly in terms of advancement, pay rate or job security; involuntary 'flexible' work schedules dictated to employees; or reduced work hours schedule with the same workload as a full-time position.