Why I Optimize For Flexibility
Sometimes I wake up with a roaring headache and two choices:
I could get up, be at work at my usual time, and have a headache and fuzzy brain for the rest of the day. Sometimes, I'd end up going home sick after lunch. No painkiller will help.
I could also go back to sleep for two hours with a cold washcloth over my eyes and arrive at work two hours later than usual with no headache and a clear mind.
I don't know what these headaches are. No doctor ever found a medical reason for them, they are not hangover-related or to do with "not enough sleep". My best guess is that it is some form of tension that developed due to sleeping in a weird position the night before that goes away when I just wait it out on my back for a while the next morning.
Either way, when the headache comes, it doesn't automatically mean that I am going to have a bad day because I have flexible working hours.
It's a bit of a give and take. My boss promises to be cool with it when I arrive unexpectedly late once a quarter. I promise not to abuse the privilege. He affords everyone this kind of flexibility and not just for medical reasons. Sometimes, folks come in later because of scheduling with the kids, the cable guy finally showed up, or any number of reasons.
We all work pretty set hours most of the time, but every once in a while, we just need a bit more flexibility than usual to take better care of ourselves.
We also have a flexible start time to begin with and it has become even more so during the last year. Sure, we all overlap for large parts of the day, but we have some serious early bird and some owls. I've seen people start as early as 6:30 AM and as late as 11:30. It still works out.
The benefits of this arrangement go far wider than just the odd medical issue, a plumber showing up to check the pipes, or respecting people's natural inclinations when it comes to sleep.
It makes the difference between doing the fifteen minutes of yoga in the morning because there is still time. Waiting until the allergy medication kicks in, doing the thing we need to do to take care of things.
Yes, schedules are important. But they are not always as important as you think. Having time that overlaps with your colleagues and showing up to meetings is important. Getting your work done is important.
But showing up at nine on the dot does not contribute to the bottom line. It's an arbitrary constraint that makes things harder where they don't need to be.
