Hybrid Work Schedule: How to Ask & Get What You Want

Want to split your week between the office and home? Many employers are open to it, but how you ask makes a big difference.

Quick answer: to ask for a hybrid work schedule, check your company's policy, decide exactly which days you want in the office, and put a short written request to your manager. Show how you'll stay reachable and keep your results on track, suggest a trial period, and agree a date to review how it's going.

Why Should Your Company Offer a Hybrid Work Schedule

Before we jump into the steps to asking for a hybrid work schedule, let's look at some of the advantages to both businesses and employees.

You can use this section to refer to when building out your proposal!

How Hybrid Work Benefits Businesses

Offering a hybrid work schedule isn’t only beneficial to employees – businesses will also benefit.

When employees aren’t commuting and have more flexibility to manage personal responsibilities, it positively impacts productivity.

Think about it, if you know you can work around personal commitments, it decreases stress and increases job satisfaction and work culture.

Over 60% of employees say they would leave a business because of work culture, even if it means lesser pay. Prioritizing a positive work culture will reduce employee turnover rates at your business.

Hybrid work can also result in cost savings for businesses by reducing overhead costs associated with maintaining a physical office space.

We’ve seen first-hand how businesses have rented out their office space, downsized due to lower attendance, and adapted their workspaces to cater better to hybrid work.

One of the biggest reasons for a business to adopt a hybrid work schedule, is that not doing so will heavily affect your recruitment opportunities.

So many businesses offer some sort of hybrid work schedule, that it’s become an expectation of prospective employees. If you refuse to offer any sort of flexibility, the likelihood is you’re no longer competitive.

💡 Of course, this does depend on your industry; those in hospitality will have less opportunity to work from home than those in a tech company.

However, staying competitive in the job market should be a huge pull for any business that can offer hybrid work but chooses not to.

How Hybrid Work Benefits Employees

For employees, the benefits of hybrid work are more obvious.

For most, the pull of hybrid work will be increased flexibility and autonomy, allowing employees to have a better work-life balance.

For one, you can avoid long commutes and have more control over your work schedule, reducing stress and improving mental well-being.

Secondly, it also positively impacts your personal and family commitments; any caregiving responsibilities, appointments, or even post-work activities.

When you have a great balance between your work and personal life, overall job satisfaction is bound to improve.

As an employee, job satisfaction is so much more than just turning up to work with a smile on your face. It’s the key to productivity, engagement, and loyalty.

As mentioned previously, while the first-hand benefits appear to be for employees, it trickles down to benefit the business too.

How to ask for a hybrid work schedule in 5 steps

1. Check your company's policy first

Read your employee handbook or intranet for any hybrid or flexible working policy. If one exists, your request should fit inside it, for example by asking for two home days when the policy allows up to three. If there's no policy, look at how other teams work, as that shows what your company already accepts. These hybrid work policy examples show what a typical policy covers.

2. Decide on the exact schedule you want

"More flexibility" is hard to agree to. "Office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, home on Mondays and Fridays" is easy to picture. Pick days that match your team's rhythm: if your team meets on Wednesdays, make that an office day.

3. Build your case around your work

Use the benefits above, but focus on your own role. Which tasks do you do best at home? Which work needs you in the office? Show that you've thought about how meetings, handovers and customer cover will work, so your manager doesn't have to.

4. Put it in writing and ask for a meeting

Send a short email (there's a sample below), then talk it through in person or on a call. A written request gives your manager something to share with HR, and in some countries a written request is needed to trigger your legal right to a decision. For a fuller document, see how to write a flexible work arrangement proposal.

5. Offer a trial and a review date

Suggest trying the schedule for four to eight weeks, then reviewing it together. A trial lowers the risk for your manager, and a review date gives you both a fair point to adjust.

Sample hybrid work schedule request

Subject: Request for a hybrid work schedule

Hi [Manager's name],

I'd like to ask about moving to a hybrid schedule, working in the office on [days] and from home on [days], starting from [date].

I've planned it around our team's routines. I'll be in for [team meeting or anchor day], available on [chat tool] and phone during core hours on home days, and I'll keep my calendar up to date so everyone knows where I am.

I think this would help me [benefit, for example "focus on deep work and cut a long commute"], and I'm happy to try it for [six] weeks and review it with you.

Could we find time this week to discuss it?

Thanks, [Your name]

Making your hybrid schedule work day to day

Once it's agreed, make your office days count. Plan them around the people you need to see, and book your desk in advance if your office uses desk sharing. Tools like Officely let you book a desk, meeting room or parking space in Microsoft Teams or on the web and see which teammates are coming in, so you can line up your office days with theirs.

For more on the conversation itself, read our guide on how to ask for a flexible work schedule.