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Everyone is after more work-life balance and, let’s be honest. Haven’t you fantasized about how to convince your boss to let you work from home?
Some jobs are better than others at allowing at least some work-life integration possibilities, but some business owners are slow to catch on.
If you have a job that would make it simple to work part-time from home, then you’re in a good position to try to convince your boss to let you work part-time from home by following these steps.
Figure Out the Logistics First
Before even approaching your boss about the idea of working from home, you’ll need to figure out whether it’s possible. What tools do you need at home that you have at the office to make it work? Are you willing to come out of pocket and set this up for yourself, or are you going to ask your boss to foot the bill?
Provide a Well Thought-Out Plan of Action
If you can demonstrate exactly how everything will work, including showing up at meetings on time, then you’re halfway there. Create a report for your boss about how you will do each area of your job while you’re at home so that they can visualize the potential.
Provide Supportive Research
Include supportive research that shows people who work from home at least part of the time are more productive, instead of less productive. Be ready to convince your boss of this by increasing your productivity when you’re given the opportunity to change your work location.
Develop a System
Set systems in place well in advance so that you know they work. Test them out before approaching your boss so that you know they will work 100 percent. Ensure that you won’t have dead spots in your house when you answer your phone, or that household sounds like the TV, pets, and kids that won’t interfere with calls. If you have children at home, plan your calls and meetings around their nap times or give them activities to do quietly while you converse with clients. You could also hire a babysitter to come play with your kids at certain times and days per week and plan accordingly.
Provide Assurances about Required Meetings
If meetings are planned in advance there should be no issues about you getting to meetings on time. But, if your place of business often has last-minute meetings, that could be a problem. You could set up technology to help with this and convince your boss that Zoom would be just as good. Alternatively, if you live close to work you can state that you can be present in any meeting within an hour or two if they’re that important.
Call in Sick
Prime your boss before approaching them by calling in sick but working from home while you’re sick. Just state that you don’t want to infect them, but you’ll get your normal work done from home. Please actually wait until you’re really sick to try this. Lying is never a solution to any problem and even if you don’t get caught, your integrity is worth more than a fake sick day.
Ask for a Trial Run
Once you present the idea to your boss, ask for a trial run. Say that you’ll work two days a week from home such as Thursday and Friday, which are usually low meeting days anyway. Then if you get the permission, do a great job.
Over Deliver
Be prepared to up your game if you do get the go-ahead to work from home. Make sure you find ways to connect with your boss and show them what you’re doing so that you won’t be seen as someone not even needed. Deliver more results once you’re home, and your boss will be pleased and maybe even make it possible for more people to work from home.
Working from home does have its good side and downside, so be prepared to have to work out some kinks and perfect your systems as you go. Many bosses are excited about having some of their employees work from home these days (it saves them money), so why not you?
Be sure to check out my Resources page that provides many productivity tools and services that may assist you when working from home!
