During the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, many employers anticipated that the move to remote operations would only be temporary. Your company might give you the go-ahead to return to the office now that the offices have had some time to adjust.
You're not the only one who feels hesitant to go back. Many of us found the work-from-home arrangement to be excellent, and others are even basing their career choices on whether or not employers provide this option. According to a survey conducted in 2022, 81% of workers welcome the chance to work remotely when it is presented.
If you're devoted to your job but wish to work from home frequently, or if you're prioritising remote flexibility in your job search, you may need to demonstrate that this choice will be as beneficial to the company as it is to you. Here's how to request a home office.
Exists A Policy Allowing Employees To Work From Home At Your Company?
If you're unsure whether your company has a policy on remote work, inquire with the human resources division. If a policy is in place, find out what rules you must adhere to and how flexible it is. Also, think about whether any of your coworkers worked remotely in some capacity prior to the pandemic.
You should have a good understanding of what you may ask for based on the current workplace culture. If prior to the epidemic your company opposed remote work, it might be less receptive to your request to work entirely from home; you might think about asking for one to two days per week instead.
Consider the Organization's Priorities.
Presenting the choice as a response to organisational demands is the best strategy for asking to work from home. The arrangement should be advantageous to your boss and coworkers. For instance, perhaps working remotely will enable you to:
- If there is a deadline, pay closer attention;
- Give yourself time and room to provide project outputs more quickly and enhance workflow;
- Permit you to be "on call" when the team finds it more convenient;
- Make yourself available to meet with contributors and clients who are in a different time zone when other team members are unable to.
Whatever the objective, it should go beyond your own goals and needs and connect to what the Organisation wants to achieve.
It's crucial to think about how your coworkers might be impacted. A remote situation is unlikely to succeed if your absence from the office will inconvenience everyone else or make it more difficult for the rest of the team to collaborate and stay on schedule. It's crucial to plan out and explain how you'll decrease the possible negative influence on colleagues if this is the circumstance and you still want to pursue a remote or hybrid position.
Organize Your Accountability Strategy.
Before you formally request to work from home, write down the specifics as though you were submitting a formal business proposal (which you are). This demonstrates that you're serious about your desire and have given the arrangement some thought.
Mention how much and when you'd like to work remotely—full time, some days per week, a few days per week, a month at a time, etc. The amount of time spent away from the office has a significant impact.
Your proposal should, among other things, show how you intend to keep good ties with your staff. Include information like:
- When you'll be accessible and how to reach you (phone, email, instant message, video chat, etc.);
- How you'll manage anyone who answers to you directly;
- How you'll participate in group discussions and project collaborations;
- What are your normal business hours?
- When and where you expect to work on site, if at all.
Write down your daily schedule that you want to adhere to while working from home for your supervisor and for your own planning needs. Include your expected working hours as well as your short- and long-term objectives. Establish a time for regular check-ins with a manager and/or the team, such as once a week, once a month, or whenever it seems suitable. This gives people more confidence that you'll update them on your progress.
And if you've been working from home for some time, you probably have proof that you can be just as productive (if not more) from home. Include any specific, measurable statistics that demonstrates more success in your remote office together with this evidence in your request.
A Pro Tip: Decide what supplies and office equipment you'll require to maintain your home office organised to set yourself up for success.
Meet With Your Manager
It's time to ask for a one-on-one with your manager after you've written a proposal. Frame your desire to work remotely as a proposal and a place to start a conversation, not as a final offer. Ask your boss about any worries they may have, and be honest in your responses.
Above all, be adaptable and willing to make concessions. Before approving the arrangement, your supervisor could require some time to consult with other parties and give it some thought, or they might not be able to work with your proposed timetable. Keep in mind that the Organisation as a whole should profit from your working environment.
There are a few ways you can encourage compromise in the conversation:
- Instead of proposing remote work as an ongoing arrangement, frame it as a short experiment with the potential to become one.
- Request a trial term of (a few weeks or months) of working from home, and make a plan to check in with your manager at the conclusion of that time.
- The trial period's format may differ; you may choose to work remotely five days per week or test a hybrid arrangement that involves spending a half-day or a few days per week in the office.
Whatever you choose, make sure to put the agreement in writing so that everyone engaged in the decision has a copy.
How To Ask For A Job That Allows You To Work From Home
Job searchers who want the flexibility of working from home should prioritise this option in their search. It's beneficial to consider your ideal remote work scenario, the scenarios you'd be open to, and how essential flexibility in remote work is to you (a minor preference you can live without, a must-have, or somewhere in between).
A Pro Tip: Jobs are categorised by JobCurators as "on-site," "remote," or "temporarily remote," and typically the job post itself has more information. Even job searches based on this criterion are possible.
The majority of employers are being forthright about their work-from-home options—or lack thereof—in job advertising now that the COVID-19 pandemic has started closing workplaces. If you are aware that the position welcomes remote workers, you can demonstrate in your cover letter how productive you are working from home. Strong communication skills are necessary for remote workers, thus it's also in your favour if the letter demonstrates your ability to do so.
It's better to reserve this question for the Q&A session at the end of the interview once you've landed one (unless the hiring manager brings it up first). Ask it politely and with the intention of learning more about the company's culture rather than making a personal request; for example, "What kinds of work-from-home possibilities are accessible to staff members?" or "Are any of the job-related tasks able to be completed remotely?"
If you are the appropriate candidate for the position, the company might be prepared to work with you even if remote-working opportunities aren't promoted.
Since the epidemic, employers all over the world have grown considerably more receptive to remote work arrangements. While a perfect work-from-home position isn't a given, you might be able to negotiate a remote (or hybrid) solution that suits your needs.
What is it like working from home, if that is the case? Do you wish to proceed?