How Can I Ask About Flexibility When I’m Interviewing?

Two letters on a similar theme. The first:

I’ll be interviewing for new jobs soon, and at this point in my career, flexibility is more important to me than money. For the types of roles I’m interviewing for, it seems like it may be very company/manager-dependent as to whether or not flexibility is there. The things I care about most are being able to sometimes leave a half hour early to take my kid to an extracurricular, or sometimes come in a half hour late if my kid with sensory issues has a tough time getting dressed.

How do I ask about this? I would probably ask at the offer stage, and I don’t think I’d mention my kid, but something more general about flexibility for personal reasons. I guess the thing I want to know is — are they focused on butts in seats, or on output? And is there flexibility for me to adjust my schedule to my life, within reason? These are roles that would probably be in the office at least three days, home two, which does help a lot!

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not going to work hard, but I do want to get a real sense of how it is to work there. I’m not sure what words to say to get the information I need, while sounding professional, and also not giving them pause in hiring me.

The second:

I’ve recently amped up my job search after a year of kind of dithering about whether it was worth it to leave my somewhat stagnant job that also has great work-life balance. Now I’m definitely ready to leave, and I’m wondering how to ask about how flexible a workplace is without coming off as someone who is flaky or won’t do their job.

I spent the majority of my career working in government jobs with strict time-in/time-out policies, required leave for every minute not in the building, and lots of bureaucracy. For the past five years, I’ve been working remotely with lots of flexibility, including things like blocking time on my calendar to drop my children off at school and popping out for a doctor’s appointment. I think of this flexibility as part of the benefits package, and would like to know before accepting an offer whether this benefit is available.

Given the high cost of before/after school care, I would only consider positions without this flexibility with a salary significantly higher than what I currently make to off-set those costs. I’m totally willing to do it, but am worried that more old-school hiring managers will look at the ask unfavorably. Do you have a script that can convey “dedicated worker who will play by your rules, but needs to know what they are first”?

Some of this comes from asking about culture generally — asking them to describe their culture, as well as asking things like what kind of person thrives there, how they measure performance, and what hours most people work.

You can also ask, “Does the team have core business hours that you like everyone to work, or do people work more of a fixed schedule?”

And if the ad or the interviewer mentions anything about “flex schedules” or “flexible working,” ask specifically what that means. As in, “You mentioned that you’re open to flexible working — what does that look like on your team?”

Once you’re further along in the process — a second interview or later, or at the offer stage — you can get deeper into it if it hasn’t already been addressed. For example, you could say: “In my current role, I have the flexibility to pop out for a doctor’s appointment or leave early for a family commitment. I’m always happy to log back on later or otherwise make sure the work is finished. Is that kind of flexibility typical on the team?”

Or: “For occasional family commitments or appointments, is it generally acceptable for the person in this role to shift their hours slightly — like starting 30 minutes earlier—as long as it’s communicated clearly and work gets done?”

Or: “I know hybrid roles offer a mix of structures. In a typical week, how much room do team members have to adjust their daily hours for things like a recurring appointment or family logistics?”

Particularly in hybrid roles (but really in most office jobs these days) these questions aren’t likely to spook your interviewer (and if they do, that’s an interviewer you want to screen out anyway). You’re asking about the culture around how the team manages their work, not “What’s the bare minimum number of hours I need to work?”

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