Tom's blog: The F word...

I started to get itchy feet the other day and began looking at other jobs. Unsurprisingly, there were no ads saying "Senior City lawyer required by first rate firm. Ideal candidate will arrive late occasionally because of vomiting children or wet beds and must be willing to work at home at least one day a week. An overt passion for spending time with family would be an advantage". I ended up applying for a position at a high profile media company, but when is the right time to raise the dreaded F word? (F for flexible, obviously.) Here's how it's going.

First, I decided to call the company's HR team before applying. But what should I say? That I'm only interested if flexible working is an option? No. I'd be dismissed as militant or lazy. Or both.

So I rang HR just for a chat about the role and I dropped into conversation "so, what's the team's approach to flexible working generally?" She said "well it is a very hard working team" (you see, flexible workers are lazy.) "but of course they would consider requests". So I had no choice but to apply, and save the F word for later.

Then the critical moment at the end of the first interview "and do you have any questions for us?" "Yes", I said, "I'd like to know whether you would consider matching a candidate's existing flexible working arrangement". Except of course I didn't say that, I only thought it. Instead I sat there like a muppet and asked something forgettable about the panel's reasons for joining the organisation.

But then a nugget of gold as I was being shown out of the building after the interview. The lead interviewer (aka my potential new boss) said out of the blue "of course, in my previous organisation I worked at home one day a week". So she understands! She'll say yes! Hang on. She USED TO WORK AT HOME IN HER PREVIOUS ROLE AND NOW SHE DOESN'T. What does that mean? That this organisation is less accommodating of flexible workers? Or just that she is trying to be in the office five days a week for now while her team gets to know her?

So here I am, preparing for my second round interview, and still I have no idea whether they are open to me working at home. I guess I just have to hope they will be so blown away by me that they will sign off on the flexible working later on.

I'll wait and see what happens. All the hassle does make me wonder whether I might not be better off staying where I am, in a great team that knows me and trusts me enough to let me work at home. Maybe I might give that second round interview a miss....

Tom is a senior associate in a magic circle law firm. He is married with three children, and works fulltime with one day per week spent working at home.