|
Asking
Permission to Telecommute
By Leslie Truex
Hi Leslie,
I have a job that I believe can be done from home. How do
you recommend that I approach my boss about telecommuting?
Lois in NH
Hi Lois,
The very best to start any work-at-home search is with your
boss particularly if you will continue to need a salary and
benefits. Many people overlook this option because they
don't think their boss will allow it. But there are many
reasons a boss should consider it including cost savings.
The best way to approach your boss is with a written
Work-At-Home Proposal that shows you have put some thought
and planning into the details of working at home. The first
step to this proposal is to do some research to determine
your jobs conduciveness to telecommuting.
1. Make a list of duties involved in your job dividing the
list into those things that can be done from home and those
things that must be done on site.
2. Also research your company's openness to alternative work
schedules. Does it allow flex-time, part-time or job share?
3. Research your industry. Do other companies in your
company's industry allow alternative work schedules?
The next step is to prepare the actual proposal. It should
be written and have the following information:
1. Educate your employer on contributions you have made to
the company to show you are a valuable employee.
2. Give a statement to why you want to work at home BUT it
should not be because you are having childcare hassles even
if that is your reason. This statement should show
commitment to your career and your job.
3. Educate your employer about the benefits of telecommuting
including increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.
4. Detail cost savings your arrangement may provide your
employer.
5. Give your proposed work schedule including the days and
hours per week you plan to work at home. Also give a date
for starting this new schedule and how long the arrangement
will last.
6. Let your boss know how you will be available such as
phone, fax or email. Also include information on how you
will deal with office meetings, deadlines and business
emergencies.
7. Outline the tasks you will be doing from home and those
you will come into the office to complete. Highlight any
changes from your current work situation.
8. Be sure to list any equipment or resources you currently
have available such as a second phone line, computer,
manuals, etc. List any equipment you need and who will be
providing it.
9. If there will be a change in your duties or hours, be
sure to show any monetary changes that would coincide with
that.
10. Indicate how you will be evaluated. Be sure this
evaluation is based on measurable tasks such as the number
of reports completed. Many bosses erroneously believe they
need to see you to know you are working. Working from home
requires that you show you are completing work not just
putting in hours.
11. Offer a trial period that is long enough to fix any
kinks. Also, develop a method for evaluating the
arrangement. Again, this evaluation should be measurable
such as increased sales.
12. Provide supporting information. This will show your boss
how successful telecommuting has been in other companies.
Include statistics or articles to support your proposal.
(See resources below).
13. Outline any childcare arrangements you will have so you
can work. Don't believe that you can work a full time job
during a child's naptime.
14. Create a telecommuting contract that also outlines the
above such as times you'll work, duties that will be
performed, information about the home office, contact
information, childcare, and accountability.
You will want to present your proposal to your boss in
person. Be sure to make an appointment for this instead of
just dropping in and springing it on him or her. Before the
meeting, try to get a feel for your boss's attitudes about
flexible work schedules. Does anyone in your company have a
flexible schedule? How are employees with a flexible
schedule treated? Will your plan help solve a problem your
company is facing such as lack of office space or parking?
Anticipate any concerns your employer will have such as
costs, accountability, and fairness.
During your presentation, focus on the benefits to your
company that telecommuting can provide. Your boss doesn't
care about your commute or childcare hassles. Convey your
value to the company. Your boss may come up with concerns.
Address these as best you can using the research to support
your proposal. Be willing to negotiate. Your boss may not
like your proposal as written but may be willing to allow an
alternative arrangement.
If your boss agrees, be sure to continue to work with the
same diligence to the job. Failure to perform as outlined in
your contract can hurt all employees in your company.
Here are some great resources to learn more and gather
supporting materials for your proposal:
· Work-At-Home Success' Telecommuting Info for Employees
http://www.workathomesuccess.com/telecomm.htm
· Work-At-Home Success' Telecommuting Info for Employers
http://www.workathomesuccess.com/manage.htm
· International Telework Association and Council
http://www.telecommute.org
=========================================
Ask WAHS Leslie is Leslie Truex a stay and work-at-home mom
who has been helping people work at home since 1998 with her
website Work At Home Success
http://www.workathomesuccess.com. She is also the author of
Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding a Work-At-Home
Job. Ask WAHS Leslie is a weekly column. You can submit a
question to Ask WAHS Leslie by emailing
success@workathomesuccess.com.
|
Get the first chapter FREE!
If you haven't already done so, why
not sign up to receive the first chapter of Outsourcing Yourself
FREE. Along with other helpful tips on how
you can transform your current job into a secure, profitable
home-based business.
|