By allowing an employee to take advantage of a non-traditional work situation (such as a flexible or compressed work schedule, telecommuting, or job sharing), you are empowering that person and trusting the employee to do a good job. Such proposals should be decided on a case-by-case basis, because each job situation and employee is different—and because your style and preferences as a manager are important too.

This Decision Toolkit can help you determine whether a proposed non-traditional work situation promises to be a productive one. The toolkit asks you to complete three profiles:

• The Job Requirements Profile;
• The Employee Success Profile; and
• The Management Profile.

In each profile, you are asked to rate eight criteria according to how frequently they are present—on a scale from “Always” to “Never.” (Clicking on any of the criteria will reveal one or more questions to help with your assessment.)

When you have completed all three profiles, go to the Summary page for an overview of your responses. The Summary page also contains a link to suggestions that may help you increase the frequency of some criteria. For additional support, contact your Component Worklife Coordinator.

Remember that this tool provides an initial indication whether the job responsibilities can be met successfully by the employee in the manner proposed. There may be many other considerations that are not reflected by the tool. Your final decision must be one that balances your employees’ needs with the requirements of the job and the demands of the Department’s mission, while taking your management style into consideration as well.

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