How to ask for outcome based performance reviews at work?
I have AuDHD and I've been working for the same company for almost 5 years. During that time I've had 4 different managers.
With my first 3 managers, I had a lot of flexibility. As long as I met my targets and my work was done, nobody cared exactly when I worked. We didn't track time, and I often worked around my energy levels.
For example, I'd sometimes work in the evening or on a Sunday so I could have a slower start the next morning. Other days I'd step away for an hour or two and make the time up later. It was never an issue because my work was getting done, and I was a top performer for 4 years.
Then I got a new manager.
She expects me to be available throughout the entire working day, even if my workload is under control. Trying to force myself through low-energy periods instead of working with them eventually contributed to burnout, and I've now been off work for 4 months.
I tried explaining how I'd worked successfully before. She said, "That's fine, as long as you let me know."
But that doesn't really solve the problem for me. If I do 15 minutes of work on a Sunday evening and then tell her I'll start 15 minutes later on Monday, it actually adds more mental load. Now I have to track every minute to make sure I still hit exactly 40 hours.
The truth is, I honestly don't know if I always worked exactly 40 hours before. Sometimes probably more, sometimes probably less. I never counted because my work was done and I consistently exceeded expectations.
I'm due to return to work in 2 weeks, and I'm thinking of asking for an accommodation where my performance is measured by outcomes rather than constant availability.
My worry is that they'll hear, "I don't want to work 40 hours," which isn't what I'm asking at all.
I just want the flexibility to work around my energy levels again without constantly worrying about whether I'm online every minute of the workday.
Has anyone successfully requested something similar? How did you explain it?