I suggested that he prepare a negotiation strategy. This should all be based on what kind of lifestyle you want. So for example: “I want a job where I can travel for a month in February, and have more time to myself during the week. I also want to work 1 or 2 days away from all the distraction of the office and the stress of commuting.”

From this we can determine the specifics. I want to work part-time. I want to have 2 months off in the winter. I want to work at least 2 days from home.

Now we ask ourselves, “Can my current job provide this lifestyle”? We might have to change our arrangement at work ie. we would have to work-part time, have an agreement to be off in say January and February each year (either with vacation pay or not), and if working full time then 2 days working from home (available by phone, email and with appropriate software and/or laptop).

If our current job does not allow this lifestyle, we have to think about what kind of jobs would. Perhaps look for a part-time job that isn’t as critical to the company where they would be fine with a month or two off each year. Another idea is a seasonal type of job, where the business is closed during the winter such as a local business that caters to tourists, or a garden center. I know of a specific job that is for a store that sells baked goods and also has some cottages for rent in the summer. The business closes in the winter for many months at a time.

Once you know what you want you have to prepare for the negotiation with your boss. If they say no to these requests are you willing to walk away from your job? Does your spouse agree to this? Are you willing to accept some of the terms but not others? If you are worried that they won’t accept these terms, then beforehand it makes sense to look for another job that does cater to your lifestyle and even get an offer or two.

Many people are afraid to ask for what they want. Many also don’t know what they want. They know they’re unhappy but don’t want to make the necessary changes. Another factor is being stuck financially.

When I mentioned these suggestions, the person admitted that they need to think about these things. Often times we know what we should do be we don’t do them, yet still complain. Go make the lifestyle you desire NOW! Also check out this article on workshifting.

Looks like I’m getting some agreement on flexible work arrangments.

I’ve decided to only work remotely and there’s a possibility I can get some remote work in a couple months or so when the same client will start ramping up. So for the next couple months I am going to work on another business idea I recently started (online interactive guitar lessons). Not only that but I’m planning to move to the east coast where I have another house which we recenlty bought. I plan to get it set up with furniture and services and do my work from there.

The key point for you to take out of this is to know what you want and figure out a way to get there. It takes some thought to gain clarity on what it is you really want. Do you really want a large business with lots of employees and travelling around the country, or would you like to work from your country home or a tropical resort on a one-man internet business? Would you like to work with one client for months or would you like to have multiple clients for short-term jobs? Do you want/need to work full-time or would you prefer to work part-time on multiple interests? I realized that there are certain things I don’t like about the IT work, but I kept doing the same things expecting a different result (the definition of insanity). So I’m committed to living the dream. I hope you are too.

If there’s one thing I’ve been emphasizing throughout my blog is that you need to take control of your career and empower yourself. Relying on unions or governments to support you is the wrong approach.  No business should stay open in order to provide you with a job. It needs to stay open to make a profit and when it makes business sense.

If you’re working in an SUV plant you might have had a clue that your job is at risk. If you’re in IT you’re aware of the trends of outsourcing and new growth areas such as SOA. The bottom line is no one person or company owes you a job.

My question to you is, ‘Do you take responsibility for your actions’ at work or at home? The first instinct after making a mistake might be to try and hide the error, or run away from blame but we need to face up to our mistakes and be honest and ethical. I find that people are very understanding when you admit a mistake, rather than when they find out what really happened eventually.

He also mentioned his utilization rate. This rate is calculated as the number of hours billed / number of hours worked. If this number get low then you can imagine the employer won’t be happy. This might put a bullseye on your back if it stays low for a while. My colleague’s rate has been fairly low because he’s been ‘on the bench’ for a while. (‘On the bench’ means he hasn’t been on a project – being charged to the client by his employer). So by working overtime he’s increasing his utilization rate.

On one of his previous projects he was only being charged out at 50% (about 20 hours per week) since the position was for a part-time consultant. But because this was a support role for an application in production, he ended up working almost full-time. Because this extra time was not being charged his utilization rate was also not 100%, but closer to 50%.

While we’re at it, another colleague of mine was on a consulting project where the employer would only pay overtime after the employee worked more than 8 hours above the regular work week (ie. above and beyond 40 hours/wk). This sometimes happens when there is a difference between the work week of the client and the work week of the employer.

No, no, no, no, NO!!!!!

• Whether you are on a fixed price contract or time and materials through your employer is NOT YOUR PROBLEM. You need to bank your hours or get paid overtime for these hours
• If you are on the bench, or have been on the bench in the past this is not your fault – the fact that your employer hasn’t found you continuous work is NOT YOUR PROBLEM
• If your utilization rate is less than ideal, this is NOT YOUR PROBLEM. It is the employer’s job to find your work and keep you 100% chargeable. If you’re on part-time projects this is because they put you there.
• If you’re an employee you should get paid overtime for any hours above the work week of your employer. And you better believe that in most cases they are charging the client for your hours!

I consider this to be employee abuse. If I were to state my main goal as a blogger about employee empowerment, it would be to stop employer abuse of employees.

Employees tend to blame themselves for not being chargeable. “I must not have enough experience”, or “If I had more relevant skills, I would be more chargeable”.  Don’t fall into the same trap. They hired you based on your known skills at the time. It’s their job to keep you busy. Of course you will be taking courses and learning new skills when you can. You will work overtime when required to get the job done successfully.

If you can’t get your employer to agree on this, you might want to consider contracting.

• live within your means
• have a nest egg saved for these types of events
• build a network of people in your industry

The first company I worked for got bought out and I was laid off a few months later. The next company had some rough patches and at that point I vowed never to be ‘out of control’ again. I wanted to be in control of my career. This is all about being proactive rather than reactive.