There’s an “f” word that’s a lot longer than four letters but could just as easily sink a job interview if it comes out of your mouth too soon after meeting your perspective employer: “family-friendly,” as in family-friendly work environment.
Lori Long, Ph.D. and author of Family-Friendly Work: Finding the Balance Between Employment and Enjoyment offers some tips for subtly sussing out whether a company is mom-friendly and offers a flexible work schedule:
- Look for signs that people who work there have kids. Are there family photos, fingerpaintings or homemade mugs scattered throughout the cubicles?
- Ask to talk to your (possible) future colleagues. Inquire what it’s like to work there. If the company is serious about hiring you, they’ll try to accommodate such requests.
- Be on the lookout for a company that offers family-oriented benefits such as a lactation room or on-site childcare.
- A family-friendly company (or boss) typically has well-defined standards for measuring performance and/or productivity. If the powers that be don’t have a true way of assessing these, they may rely solely on how much face time you put in.
- Consider asking your current employer whether a more flexible schedule is possible, even if the company has never before made such accommodations. Never say never.
Now about that golden parachute…