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So You Want To Telecommute? Here's How To Convince Your Boss

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Q: How should I bring up the topic of telecommuting with my manager?

Lisa: Very carefully! First, find out how your manager feels about telecommuting so you can build a solid case for why you believe it will work for you in your specific situation. After you build your business case, be sure to consider all sides of the situation and review those points with your boss so they will see you also understand the situation from their viewpoint.

Q: What justification should I give my manager for my reasons to telecommute?

Lisa: The reasons for wanting to telecommute are usually different for each person. Focus on the benefits you believe telecommuting will provide, which could include increased productivity due to less interruptions, the ability to be more available to your children, or minimizing commuting time and associated expenses. Telecommuting most commonly works well for positions that require little direct interaction with other employees and managers such as telesales jobs, accounting, and IT programmers. Think about how easy or difficult your job might be without direct contact with others.

Do not bring up anything other than professionally linked reasons for telecommuting. Avoid emotionally based reasons such as, “I can’t stand sitting next to so and so because they’re obnoxious and eat smelly food at lunch.”

Also keep in mind some of the disadvantages your manager will want to discuss, such as concerns about lack of direct contact with you, how to ensure your performance continues at peak productivity levels and that you won’t be distracted by children or your spouse while working, and potential expenses associated with providing the office equipment and supplies you will need for your home office.

Many managers don’t like telecommuting because they worry they will lose control of what needs to be managed. The employee needs to validate their concerns and demonstrate how they can ensure they will remain productive (if not increase productivity) and how they will be easily available to their manager and other employees in case something urgent should arise. Think through all possible disadvantages and your recommendations on how to avoid these issues.

Q: What do you think will be my manager’s reaction to my request?

Lisa: Your manager may be receptive to the idea of telecommuting, or, they might need some time to think it through. If you want your manager to say yes to telecommuting, consider the following factors:

  • Demonstrate to your manager that you have the available space for a home office (a room with a door you can close, desk, telephone line, high-speed Internet connection, printer, laptop computer from work, cell phone, etc.).
  • Demonstrate you have the ability to work in a home environment conducive to being productive. In other words, you cannot easily get work done if you’re watching two young children at the same time. You must prove that you will be highly productive.
  • Consider how telecommuting will affect you emotionally. There won’t be hallway chats with other employees, lunch in the cafeteria with co-workers, or direct interaction during department meetings – not all employees can handle the decrease in face-to-face activity or are able to proactively manage their time when not in an office environment.
  • Determine your game plan for staying connected to those in the office and especially to your manager. Think through these steps, such as coming into the office to work one day every week or every two weeks, establishing regular review meetings or telephone calls with your manager to update them on progress of your work, etc.

Lisa’s Advice – in Summary

  • Take the time to understand how your manager feels about telecommuting in general
  • Conduct research to determine if any other employees telecommute and how they went about getting it approved – learn from their experience!
  • Build a solid case for why telecommuting will work and include the specific details on how you will ensure it will work
  • Use only professionally linked reasons for why you want to telecommute
  • Ensure you address all sides of the telecommuting situation, including the hot points of your boss
  • Recommend a trial period to ensure your manager (and you) are comfortable with the arrangement

Do you have advice based on personal experiences with telecommuting that I haven’t listed? Share them below in the “Comments” section.

~ Lisa Quast

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Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art