Bargaining for a Work Day at Home

The Friday telework arrangement went smoothly for a few summers, and eventually she got the courage to ask about staying home on Fridays year-round. Her boss said yes — but of course, Ms. Uttech had already proved her ability and dedication for about nine years by that point.

She says the greatest “pearl of wisdom” she can offer other working mothers — and fathers, too — is to not be afraid to ask for such accommodations, even if the response might be no.

Sara Uttech, a 42-year-old working mom who works for a nonprofit, was less interested in “leaning in” and more interested in figuring out a way to make her schedule more flexible so she could simultaneously be a breadwinner and never miss any of her kids’ baseball games. So she went to her boss and asked if she could work at home on Fridays, which she says is probably the career move she is proudest of. Uttech wants a rewarding career, but she also wants a flexible one — one that also allows her to have time for herself, like the book club that allows her “to just be a woman for a few hours, not a worker and not a mom or any other title.”

At one of my old jobs, one of my coworkers asked if he could work at home for two days out of the week after his son was born so that he wouldn’t miss out on his kid’s first few years. He was approved for the first two months as a trial run, and then got to continue doing it after he proved he could keep up with his workload. I remember thinking, “Wow, I would have never thought of asking for that.” And then I put the idea in my pocket and saved it for the future.

Photo: Kristina Zuidema

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