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- Stay informed about the provisions of the various Worklife Programs so you can assist your employees as they submit requests or make inquiries.
- Remind employees on a regular basis that the Worklife Program exists to help them meet personal challenges and expand professional opportunities.
- Be sure to consider the needs of all your employees, those who apply for participation in Worklife Programs and those that do not choose to participate in Worklife Programs but whose work may be affected by the proposed arrangement.
- Create an environment that fosters employee initiative and creativity. Engage your employees—those participating in a Worklife Program and others who might be affected by it—in efforts to develop effective working relationships. This includes effective communication between staff members over time.
- Be ready to work with employees who encounter difficulties making a new working arrangement successful. Remind them that different work styles and approaches can yield valuable results.
- Keep the different Worklife Programs in mind as you engage in workload planning for your office. Such efforts may yield valuable insights for your employees as they request to work in a non-traditional work situation.
- Ensure the confidentiality of employees who apply for Worklife Programs.
- Review employee applications for the Worklife Program to make sure they are completed correctly. Identify and resolve issues early. As appropriate, follow up on the approval process to ensure a decision is made in a timely manner.
- Be fair in your consideration of applications for the Worklife Program. Treat employees equitably. Be prepared to give sound business reasons for your decisions to accept or deny an application.
- Be prepared to clearly communicate why some occupations allow for non-traditional work situations while others do not. When managers do not clearly articulate the parameters for participation in the program, assumptions by all parties are made that can lead to misconceptions, gossip, internal office conflict, or formal grievances.
- Share “lessons learned,” “best practices,” and “problems to avoid” with other supervisors and managers.
