If you have grown to like working from home and want to continue doing it, it might not be a hard sell to keep at least some of that flexibility.
A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found 68% of its member organizations probably or definitely will adopt broader or more flexible work from home policies for all workers.
But you need a plan.
Before approaching your manager or boss, draft a written proposal outlining how working from home would work for you, and for the company.
“Be real specific of what kind of flexibility you are looking for. Are you wanting to work from home 100% of the time or maybe one day a week? Provide a sample schedule of what that might look like if that’s relevant,” Carol Cochran at Flexjobs, a search site for flexible work openings, told WTOP.
“And then, the business rationale of your proposal. How is it going to benefit the company having you work from home?” Cochran said.
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She suggests using specific examples of how working from home during the past few weeks or months has allowed you to continue to be productive, or maybe even more productive.
But make sure the pitch is about what you can do for the company, and definitely don’t use your newly-casual kickback lifestyle as a selling point in your argument to keep some remote working options.
“Don’t use the logic that it’s ‘easier,’ because that is generally not something that your employer will want to hear. And certainly not things like ‘oh, I don’t have to shower, I can work in my pajamas, I can work in bed,’ because that definitely doesn’t fill your employer with a great sense of confidence, or paint this picture of professional productivity,” Cochran said.
Flexobs recommends keeping your logic very much focused on the business benefits.
Flexjobs said before meeting with your manager, you should check with human resources to see what kind of policies are already in existence, or may be in the works.
