How to Ask to Work Remotely From Home Permanently

It’s understandable why you want to work remotely permanently, but how do you approach your employer without ruining your career and relationship with your manager or team?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions worked from home for the first time. They have discovered the benefits of remote working, including not commuting to the office and having more time to do the things they love.

In this article, you will find practical advice on convincing your boss to allow you to work remotely permanently.

Does Your Manager Trust You?

The first task is to be honest with yourself.

Are you a hard worker and valued within the company? Does your manager trust you to perform to a high standard on your own initiative? Have you received positive feedback in performance reviews? Trust is essential when employees work from home.

Things to Think About

Good communication is essential when your workforce is between working from home and in the office. The workflow must continue as before so deadlines can be met and the same level of service is provided to clients or customers.

Here are some areas to think about that will come up in discussions.

• What will be your work routine?
• Do you have a good internet connection?
• Are there any distractions from work at home?
• How will you attend meetings and team conversations?
• What is your plan for communication with your team?
• How will you continue to have good relationships with your colleagues?

Write your answers to these questions because you must include them in the document featured later in this article.

What are the Benefits for the Company?

The biggest mistake you can make is telling your employer about the benefits of working from a company that cares about its take this into consideration, but to submit a successful request, you will need to consider the business’s benefit home. Of course, employees will s.

Take some time to consider how working from home has helped the company in your role. Have you found that you’ve been more creative, which has resulted in acquiring more new customers?

Have you found that fewer in-person meetings have made you more productive? Think about the benefits for the company.

Have a Quiet Word with Colleagues

Try to talk quietly with your colleagues and ask them for their opinions. Do they foresee any problems with you working remotely permanently? Can they think of any issues that would affect their ability to perform their duties from the office?

If the rest of your team is based in the office and you’re at home, consider how this will impact them and evaluate potential solutions.

What Concerns Will Your Employer Have?

Put yourself in your boss’s shoes, and write down a list of reasons why they could reject your request to work permanently from home.

Your request will likely be accepted if you consider the concerns and offer solutions. Also, consider the team’s workflow and how working from home might impact it.

The Next Steps

Create a plan of action: a one—or two-page document that includes everything mentioned above, including the answers to the questions asked.

Also, include the company’s benefits and solutions to any concerns they might have. Do not write paragraphs of text; use bullet points to make it easy to read. Ask a colleague to review your thoughts and suggest any additional information that would benefit your request.

Next, book a meeting with your manager and email them the document so it is not a complete surprise. Give them time to consider your request and any concerns that need to be discussed.

Be Flexible

When you submit your request to work remotely permanently, be flexible, your employer might want you to work from home a few days a week or suggest a trial period to see how it works.

Picking the Right Time to Ask

It is essential to know when not to submit the document and ask for a meeting to discuss it. Do not pick a Monday morning when most managers are busy catching up on emails and sorting out priorities for the week ahead. Pick a time when your boss is unlikely to be stressed and preoccupied with work.

Avoid occasions where deadlines must be met. Otherwise, your meeting request will be buried among a flood of emails.

Good luck requesting to work remotely from home!