Max
11-04-2002, 06:47 PM
Booking off for family problems
Ellen Roseman
YOU HAVE TO look after a family member who needs emergency care. What do you tell your employer?
First, check to see whether you're entitled to emergency leave under the law covering your workplace or under a union or employment contract.
If you work for a company that has at least 50 employees, you're entitled to up to 10 unpaid days each year for family/health emergencies under Ontario's Employment Standards Act (ESA).
The ESA covers most workers and employers in Ontario, except for those in sectors under federal jurisdiction (airlines, banks, post offices, radio and television stations, inter-provincial railways and the federal civil service).
In a fact sheet at its Web site, http://www.gov.on.ca/lab/esa, the Ontario Ministry of Labour says emergency leave may be taken in the case of illness, injuries and certain other urgent matters.
It applies not only to personal medical emergencies, but also to those in your extended family (including parents, siblings, children and grandchildren) and to any dependent relative.
Unpaid emergency leave is not the same thing as sickness or bereavement leave, which is often part of a workplace policy or paid benefit plan. You can't be penalized if you take emergency leave, but your employer can ask for proof that you're eligible.
What if you don't qualify for family emergency leave or you've exhausted your 10 days a year? That's when you may find yourself negotiating with your employer for more flexibility.
Many companies offer flex-time arrangements. You work a set number of hours, but you have an adjustable hour or two at either end of the workday.
You can also ask for a temporary shift into part-time work or telecommuting, where you work at home and stay connected by telephone or the Internet.
How do you convince your boss to let you have a flexible work arrangement?
"You'll need to make a strong case, put it in writing and be prepared to sell it," says consultant Tema Frank in an article at a Web site for Canadian women, http://www.mochasofa.ca.
Decide what type of arrangement you want, then write a proposal that outlines how the work will get done and how you will deal with co-workers' concerns.
"Before you officially pitch your boss on a flexible work arrangement, go to co-workers or clients whom you feel comfortable talking to about your plans," says consultant Jacqueline Foley in a new book, Flex Appeal (Out of Our Minds Press, $19.95), which can be ordered from http://www.getflexappeal.com.
"Ask them to suggest how you could make your new arrangement work for them. These people will be affected by your new arrangement; approaching them before you make the change will show them that you care about the impact it will have on them and encourage their buy-in."
This ensures you can go to your boss with a proposal that has practical ideas for staying connected to your co-workers and helping your clients.
A written plan, says Foley, forces you to come up with good answers to the tough questions your boss is likely to raise. It can be anywhere from two to 20 pages in length, though 10 is probably enough.
If you find proposal-writing daunting, you can buy a template called Flex Success to download directly onto your computer at a Web site called Work Options, http://www.workoptions.com. For $29.95 (U.S.), you have four flexible options to choose from: job sharing, compressed work week, part-time and telecommuting.
Foley interviewed more than 100 mothers who had moved from full-time work to a flexible arrangement. Many of them swore by the Flex Success template, saying it had helped them create a professional proposal and negotiate what they wanted.
The key to success is gathering proof that flexible hours work for the employer, too.
Start with examples within your company, if they exist, and include testimonials from the relevant manager about how the arrangement is working out.
Then, add a summary of the research you have found in support of flexible work arrangements in general and, if possible, the specific arrangement you're proposing.
You can find many of the backup articles and statistics you need at a Web site sponsored by the federal government, Work-Life Balance in Canadian Workplaces, http://labour-travail.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/worklife.
Next week, we look at how companies can help employees who are responsible for family caregiving.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ellen Roseman's Money 201 column appears Sunday. You can reach her by writing Business, The Toronto Star, One Yonge St., Toronto M5E 1E6 or at 416-865-3630 by fax or at erosema@thestar.ca by e-mail.
==============================
"Those who seek to predict the future... might first look to the past. The past is a mirror -- and those who ignore its sometimes dark reflection, are doomed to repeat it... Will it be those seeking redemption who shall decide the future... or will those driven only by greed and envy shape our destiny? Even a hundred years later, the outcome is still very much in doubt. .." Outer Limits(Heart's Desire)
Ellen Roseman
YOU HAVE TO look after a family member who needs emergency care. What do you tell your employer?
First, check to see whether you're entitled to emergency leave under the law covering your workplace or under a union or employment contract.
If you work for a company that has at least 50 employees, you're entitled to up to 10 unpaid days each year for family/health emergencies under Ontario's Employment Standards Act (ESA).
The ESA covers most workers and employers in Ontario, except for those in sectors under federal jurisdiction (airlines, banks, post offices, radio and television stations, inter-provincial railways and the federal civil service).
In a fact sheet at its Web site, http://www.gov.on.ca/lab/esa, the Ontario Ministry of Labour says emergency leave may be taken in the case of illness, injuries and certain other urgent matters.
It applies not only to personal medical emergencies, but also to those in your extended family (including parents, siblings, children and grandchildren) and to any dependent relative.
Unpaid emergency leave is not the same thing as sickness or bereavement leave, which is often part of a workplace policy or paid benefit plan. You can't be penalized if you take emergency leave, but your employer can ask for proof that you're eligible.
What if you don't qualify for family emergency leave or you've exhausted your 10 days a year? That's when you may find yourself negotiating with your employer for more flexibility.
Many companies offer flex-time arrangements. You work a set number of hours, but you have an adjustable hour or two at either end of the workday.
You can also ask for a temporary shift into part-time work or telecommuting, where you work at home and stay connected by telephone or the Internet.
How do you convince your boss to let you have a flexible work arrangement?
"You'll need to make a strong case, put it in writing and be prepared to sell it," says consultant Tema Frank in an article at a Web site for Canadian women, http://www.mochasofa.ca.
Decide what type of arrangement you want, then write a proposal that outlines how the work will get done and how you will deal with co-workers' concerns.
"Before you officially pitch your boss on a flexible work arrangement, go to co-workers or clients whom you feel comfortable talking to about your plans," says consultant Jacqueline Foley in a new book, Flex Appeal (Out of Our Minds Press, $19.95), which can be ordered from http://www.getflexappeal.com.
"Ask them to suggest how you could make your new arrangement work for them. These people will be affected by your new arrangement; approaching them before you make the change will show them that you care about the impact it will have on them and encourage their buy-in."
This ensures you can go to your boss with a proposal that has practical ideas for staying connected to your co-workers and helping your clients.
A written plan, says Foley, forces you to come up with good answers to the tough questions your boss is likely to raise. It can be anywhere from two to 20 pages in length, though 10 is probably enough.
If you find proposal-writing daunting, you can buy a template called Flex Success to download directly onto your computer at a Web site called Work Options, http://www.workoptions.com. For $29.95 (U.S.), you have four flexible options to choose from: job sharing, compressed work week, part-time and telecommuting.
Foley interviewed more than 100 mothers who had moved from full-time work to a flexible arrangement. Many of them swore by the Flex Success template, saying it had helped them create a professional proposal and negotiate what they wanted.
The key to success is gathering proof that flexible hours work for the employer, too.
Start with examples within your company, if they exist, and include testimonials from the relevant manager about how the arrangement is working out.
Then, add a summary of the research you have found in support of flexible work arrangements in general and, if possible, the specific arrangement you're proposing.
You can find many of the backup articles and statistics you need at a Web site sponsored by the federal government, Work-Life Balance in Canadian Workplaces, http://labour-travail.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/worklife.
Next week, we look at how companies can help employees who are responsible for family caregiving.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ellen Roseman's Money 201 column appears Sunday. You can reach her by writing Business, The Toronto Star, One Yonge St., Toronto M5E 1E6 or at 416-865-3630 by fax or at erosema@thestar.ca by e-mail.
==============================
"Those who seek to predict the future... might first look to the past. The past is a mirror -- and those who ignore its sometimes dark reflection, are doomed to repeat it... Will it be those seeking redemption who shall decide the future... or will those driven only by greed and envy shape our destiny? Even a hundred years later, the outcome is still very much in doubt. .." Outer Limits(Heart's Desire)