????暑假即將結束，你可能感覺以后再也沒有可以接受的請假理由了。鑒于最適合請假的季節已經結束，你還能在需要對承包商進行監督的關鍵時刻，留在家里照顧生病的孩子或者在家辦公嗎？

????答案的肯定的。對于你的同事和上司來說，工作場所的靈活性正變得越來越重要。事實上，安永會計師事務所（Ernst & Young）去年進行的一項調查顯示，工作場所的靈活性被視為最重要的福利（僅次于現金和補貼）。34%的男性和30%的女性表示，如果某項工作不能提供日常工作場所的靈活性，他們甚至可能會考慮辭職。

????許多公司也在迎合這種需求：家庭與工作協會（Families and Work Institute）的調查顯示，從2008年到2014年，越來越多的雇主允許員工偶爾在家辦公（從50%增加到67%）、控制休息時間（從84%增加到92%）、控制加班時間（從27%增加到45%），因個人需要在工作時間請假（從73%增加到82%）。

????但要弄清楚在什么時候披露需要請假的私人事務，以及透漏多少細節，并不是件簡單的事情。安永美洲區人才戰略官卡瑞恩?特瓦羅尼特表示：“事實上，每一個工作環境都有一個大文化背景，此外還有一些亞文化背景。員工必須對其進行測試。”

????但是，對于自己不得不請假去照顧的家庭義務，我們為什么要告知他人呢？為什么不能直接請假，不做任何解釋？

????首先，如果你愿意談論個人事務，你會幫助建立一種尊重員工工作和生活界限，并具有靈活性的團隊文化。

????50歲的吉姆?魯貝爾是連鎖便利店CST Brands的董事長兼首席執行官。她特別注意帶孩子出席公司的活動，談論拼車或其他家庭義務。魯貝爾說道：“有許多人還不清楚這么做是否合適，而我希望用行動告訴他們，這樣做是可以的。如果你要假裝10小時工作之外的生活是不存在的，長此以往你會陷入悲慘的境地。”

????其次，如果你不分享自己的個人生活，或在有需要的時候不請求幫助，你會錯過在工作中建立可靠人脈的機會。

????44歲的布萊恩?M?王說道：“如果你在生活中幫助其他人，當你有需要的時候，他們也會愿意幫助你。但如果你不分享自己的生活，沒有人會來幫助你。”王是舊金山普盈律師事務所（Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman）的合伙人。

????當然，這并不意味，你要把和你個人生活有關的所有事情統統告訴別人。先透露一小部分，觀察對方的接受程度。如果氣氛有點緊張，將來可以采取更職業的方式。

????With summer vacations ending, you may feel there’s no longer an acceptable reason to be away from work. Can you afford to stay home with a sick child or work from home while supervising a contractor now that the season for time off has ended?

????The answer is yes. Workplace flexibility is increasingly important to your colleagues and supervisors. In fact, it was ranked as the most important perk (after cash and benefits) in an EY survey last year. Thirty-four percent of men and 30% of women reported they’d go so far as to quit their job if they weren’t offered day-to-day flexibility.

????Companies are responding to this demand: between 2008 and 2014, more employers surveyed by the Families and Work Institute allowed employees to occasionally work from home (from 50% to 67%), control their breaks (from 84% to 92%), control overtime hours (from 27% to 45%), and take time off during the workday for personal needs (from 73% to 82%).

????But figuring out when to disclose a personal obligation that takes you away from work—and how much detail to give—isn’t always simple. “The reality is that every work environment has a big culture and then there are subcultures. Any worker needs to test it,” says KarynTwaronite, EY Americas global diversity and inclusiveness officer and a partner at Ernst & Young.

????So, why should you share anything about a family commitment that takes you away from work? Why not just take the time you need but not explain?

????First, if you’re comfortable talking about a personal commitment, you will contribute to building a culture in which employees’ work-life boundaries are respected and flexibility is used.

????Kim Lubel, 50, chairman and chief executive of convenience retailer CST Brands, makes a point of bringing her children to work events and talking about carpool or other family obligations. “There are lots of other folks who are trying to figure out if it’s okay or not, and I want them to know it’s okay,” says Lubel. “If you have to pretend like your life outside your 10 hours at the office doesn’t exist, you’re going to be miserable in the long run.”

????Second, if you don’t share anything about your personal life—or ask for help when you need it—you will miss the chance to build authentic connections at work.

????“If you go through your life helping other people, then when you need it, they’ll be there for you,” says Brian M. Wong, 44, a partner at law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in San Francisco. “They can’t be there for you if you’re not sharing what’s going on.”

????That doesn’t mean you tell everyone everything about your personal life and challenges. Start small when disclosing commitments, and gauge the receptivity of the person you’re telling. If there’s tension, keep it more professional in the future.