How You Too Can Work From Home By Negotiating

Sometimes, coming into work is a hassle. Maybe it takes you hours to get there in peak traffic, or you need to rest from a recent surgery or you simply need a break from full-time work.

There are just as many reasons why you might need to work from home as there are advantages. But trying to get your boss to get on board with the idea may prove a bit difficult. Down below is a guide on how you can convince your boss to move away from your office environment and into a more comfortable one.

Before you approach your boss, you need to figure out whether or not you’re eligible. You can start by thinking about what your position entails. Say, for example, you do a lot of independent writing. That could be more easily arranged then say, if you rely very heavily on a team environment. Another place you can go to is the HR department: they often have remote work policies, which can give you an idea on what criterion you need to fill and point you to the right direction as to how to go about asking your boss.

Now that you got the groundwork done, let’s focus on how you can make your argument. You can talk about how, by working from home, you spend more time doing your job instead of on the drive to the office, or that, you feel less stressed at home, or you’re able to establish a better work schedule. You want to avoid giving out personal reasons as much as possible; remember, your boss is doing you a favour by granting you permission to work at home. They know this is going to benefit you some way, so make sure you put emphasis on them. If your boss still isn’t convinced, you might want to go on to the next step.

After you explain all of your points, ask your boss for a trial period. This is essentially a short period of time to see whether or not remote working is truly a better alternative than working at the office. Discuss what days work best for you and your boss and how long the period should be. You might want to start off with a day or two, to ease the transition. By doing this, you have the chance of showing your boss just how productive you can be at home.

Once you’re confident of your plan, it’s time to meet up with your boss. Try to do it in person rather than through e-mail or on the phone. Ask when they’re free and go from there. That way, you push your boss into giving you their full attention. You can directly respond to their questions, and add anything that comes to your mind that you may help your cause. Also, your body language and tone are factors in the negotiation as well. If you portray yourself as confident in your decision and have a positive outlook, that tells your boss that you know what you’re doing, and that you’re determined to make these new arrangements work.

Now that you’ve convinced your manager and now have the flexible schedule you wanted, you’ve basically won, right? Well, not quite. You still obviously need to work hard, otherwise all of your persuasion will mean nothing. Your boss will probably want feedback about how you do away from the office, so make sure to keep in contact, and be open to any adjustments they may have in mind.

But what about the other side of the spectrum? What if your boss says no to your proposal? Firstly, let me just say that all hope isn’t lost! Try asking again after a few months or so. If you’re somehow forced to stay at home for a day during that period of time, then show your boss how much work you can do. This proves that you can be just as, if not more, productive at home compared to the office. Show how valuable you are to the company, and get into your boss’s good books. That way, they’ll be more inclined to listen to you.