How to Convince Your Boss or Company to Let You Work From Home

Quite a few folks out there would like to sometimes work at home. And they’re probably right about that. There’s something attractive about being able to work at home. But not everyone is willing to give up their current job to do so.

If this is you, take a look at your job. It might be suited to part-time or full telecommuting. All you have to do is get your boss or company to agree to it.

No small task, is it? I know it is easier said than done, but if the company you work for already has a telecommuting policy, that’s probably not so hard to accomplish. However; if your company or boss does not have a telecommuting/work from home program already in place, you’re going to have to convince someone it’s a good business decision.

This means you need to do some research. You need to have current information on why allowing employees to telecommute is a good idea. The general kind of things you would need to talk to your bosses about would be things such as increased productivity and lowered costs to the business. You do not want to talk about how telecommuting would benefit or be advantageous to you personally. Those aren’t important things to your company’s business goals.

You will also need to think about how often you would like to telecommute. Twice or three times a week? More? Less? Or only just occasionally, when the need arises?

What about the equipment you’ll need? How about security issues? How will your progress be monitored? How will you keep in contact with your company?

Fortunately, using the internet and cell phones to keep in contact is often pretty easy. Calls can be made, emails can be sent. Communicating is easier than what it used to be.

As you can see, there are a lot of details you will need to go over to get permission if your company doesn’t already have that telecommuter policy in place. No one said this was going to be easy.

Prepare yourself for objections or your proposal being shot down. If they aren’t used to supervising employees that telecommute, many bosses are quite simply not comfortable with the idea. After all, in the office they can easily check and see what you’re doing anytime. If you’re at home it’s not so simple.

Let’s be honest here. Some companies still won’t allow telecommuting because they aren’t comfortable with it. It is probably not just your boss you will have to convince if you work for a big company, but his boss and possibly the person above him as well. When it comes to corporations these things take time. But please don’t get discouraged. Telecommuting, labor experts say, is a practice that is on the rise amongst the workforce. Also experts say that in 2011 25% of companies considered having a work from home program in place and that in 2012, an increased rate of 44% have already done so.

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Talking your current employer into letting you work from home or may be tough, but it can be worth it. Being able to telecommute means you can keep working when you can’t get to the office for some reason, such as a sick child. Telecommuting either full-time, part-time, or over short periods when the need arises, is an important aid to disabled workers who struggle with a commute, and But there’s a definite price to pay in terms of expectations of you when you’re working from home as well as the potential for isolation.

Telecommuting or working from home… Is it right for you?

Only your company and you can determine that.

By P Juarez