Telling Your Boss You Want to Work at Home
A Home Business Article Contributed by Donna m. Brown
Breaking the Work at Home News to Your Boss
There are a number of reasons people want to work at home, many of them are personal and personal problems will rarely appeal to your boss's better judgment. If you have made the decision to ask your boss for the opportunity to work at home, prepare your proposal with care, conviction and cold hard facts to back up your business-like conjectures.
Don't focus on your desire to sit cross-legged on the bed in your sweats with a cup of tea and a computer on your lap. Base your discussion on topics like productivity, time and controlled environment.
Want to Work at Home? do Your Homework
Before you ever approach your boss about your desire to work at home, do some homework. Research the ups and downs associated with telecommuting and be prepared to have a solid answer (and facts to back that answer up) for every question your boss could ask.
If you have the reputation of being self-motivated, trustworthy and productive, there's a good chance you can make a convincing argument that will eventually allow you to work at home for your present company.
Your boss will want to know:
-What's in it for me and this company?
The fact is, many people are more productive when they're relaxed and in a calm, quiet environment that will allow them to kick-back and get creative. Distractions and water cooler conversations can eat up huge chunks of any employee's day. By working at home, you set the tone and can tune out the world to focus on your tasks at hand. If you want this arrangement to work, make sure you can offer that environment if you do work at home.
If you save a two-hour commute each day, you will have more time and be better prepared to work hard. Physically and emotionally you will be in tune with your tasks and not nearly as focused on planning the fastest route to home or work while you worry about backed-up traffic on the interstate.
-How Much Time Will You Work at Home?
Be prepared to be flexible on this one. You might want to start with a compromise to show your boss how well this arrangement can work. Ask for one or two days per week to work at home. Track your progress and production. Tell your boss you would like to revisit the issue in three months to determine how the plan is working. If you are able to show progress and improvement, you can ask for even more time working from your home office.
-How Will Other Team Members Communicate with You?
Have a well-laid out plan in place when this question comes along. Explain that the Internet, e-mail, instant messenger services, pagers and cell phones are all tools that you plan to use to keep in close contact with the office. Agree to check in on a regular basis and to make yourself readily available just as if you were in the office.
Make Your Work at Home Work for You
Your boss has finally agreed to give your work at home idea a chance. Now it's up to you to make good on your promises. You have to be committed to making this opportunity work. Consider yourself a pioneer if you are among the first in your company to get this chance. Others could follow and will thank you endlessly for helping administration to see the healthy benefits of working at home.
