Telecommuting: How To Ask Your Boss To Let You Work From Home

Telecommuting

Many companies in America are starting to make the switch from traditional office space to telecommuting. These companies have realized that there are many benefits associated with allowing their employees to work from home, and they’ve found plenty of success working as a virtual company.

Some companies, though, have not yet made the switch, but just because your company isn’t completely virtual doesn’t mean that they won’t allow you to work from home. If you are interested in telecommuting, the following are a few tips to help you ask your boss if you can work from home.

Be sure your job can be done remotely

Before you barge into your boss’s office and ask to work from home, it’s very important that you first ensure that your job can be done from home. If you are often required to attend in-person meetings or perform certain tasks that need to be done on-site, the chances of your boss saying yes are slim-to-none. Instead, make sure that your job is something that can be done entirely from home before asking, as this will help your chances.

Have a valid reason

Asking to work from home just because you want to is not going to get your boss to say yes. Instead, you need to think of how your working from home would benefit the company or your own productivity. For example, if your job is based on productivity, you could state that you find your current working conditions distracting (just be willing to work hard to increase your production once you get the green light to work from home).

Start slow

Sometimes you’re better off asking for something small instead of something big. For example, you may want to work from home full time, but asking for that may not be appealing to your boss. Instead, you should start small. For example, ask if you could work from home on days when there is inclement weather, or ask if you could start by working from home one or two days per month. This will allow your boss to see how you telecommute, and if you end up being successful with your commuting, it could set the tone for you to extend working from home to a full-time basis.

Consider swapping for other benefits

If your job currently gives you certain perks, such as a pre-paid gym membership or discounts on your cell phone, offer to swap those out for the ability to work from home. You could also opt to trade in your paid holidays or sick days as a way to sweeten the pot for your boss. Think of the things your work currently provides and that you’d be willing to give up for the ability to work comfortably from home, and let your boss know.

Give your boss some reading material

Don’t just walk into your boss’s office and ask him or her to work from home. Instead, make a presentation of it and provide your boss with plenty of reading material to back up your requests. For example, find research on how working from home can save the company money, and provide a list of other companies that may allow telecommuting. You could also provide a copy of your resume with all the accomplishments and achievements you’ve earned for the company to help show your worth. Don’t forget to include all those benefits you’d be willing to swap, too, and give this to them at the appropriate time. The more you can sell yourself professionally, the better your chances.

Featured image: License: Creative Commons image source


 

Author Glenna Baker has been a freelance writer and an online transcription professional for more than 10 years.

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