Skip to main content

How you can convince your boss to work from home?

Image
By
Before this 2020 pandemic it was more difficult to request work from home, especially for us in Trinidad and Tobago. During this lockdown, many companies locally are forced to act and consider work from home options. Hopefully this trend continues beyond the lockdown, fingers crossed.

First of all, we must recognise that work from home only applies to some classes of workers, mostly back office workers.

Next, you should decide how much work from home you should request, at least initially. If full work from home seems like a harder ask then consider some days work from home. Office days would be for tasks that can only be performed in the office. If you share your job function with others then you can alternate with coworkers, so that someone is always in the office. Even half days can be beneficial.

Do your research so that you can list the advantages and disadvantages and case studies. Be prepared to make a formal presentation to your boss. Know about the technologies and resources that would be required for you to work from home. Get input from your IT department. Pay attention to return on investment, disaster recovery planning, performance management and available options.

Let your boss know that once performance management goals are being met and the job is getting done then it should not matter where you are working from. Productivity is linked to employee well being. Happy employees are less likely to look for another employer. When employees win then employers also win.

Let your boss know that this does not have to be a permanent decision. At the very least give work from home a try for a few months to see that it can work. A phased approached can be adopted. Employees can present work from home as a proposal and have it go through that approval process. Get the input of an expert who can vet your proposal.

Finally, don't give up, keep trying. Get coworkers, union, employee assistance programme and others involved. In some cases, persistence and patience would be needed. Look at all avenues for making your voice be heard.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coffee and a prayer

By
It is 245am and I have decided to write. I have no topic and no idea what to write. I am thankful for another day. I see the beauty that surrounds us. I choose to be happy. We are in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Tonight is the 23rd night. It could possibly be the night of power. I wonder if it will rain. Maybe it rained when I was sleeping. I got up and bathed and drank a strong cup of coffee. Today is also Friday the 13th. I keep thinking. Life is beautiful. Life is simple. No need to complicate things. No need to be extravagant. Believe in God. Trust in God. Be guided by God. Imagine we can pray for anything. We can ask God for anything. God is always listening. God wants to hear from us. Maybe I can turn this blog post into a prayer. My God I pray that everyone gets their prayers answered. I pray that everyone gets what they need. I pray that you light our path towards you. Guide us with what you intend for us. Keep us close to you. Soften our hearts. Keep us balanced, consistent...
Post a Comment
Read more

Belief is a part of life

By
I watched this video and I quite like it as a good starting point for this blog post https://youtu.be/t44PFI_V4LE We cannot know everything. We do not have the capacity to know everything. I make plans for tomorrow because I believe there is a tomorrow not because I know that there is a tomorrow. We cannot decide today to say we will only act on things that we know for sure. This would be impractical. As my friend Chatty puts it, to live life, we must believe in things that cannot always be proven with certainty. For example, we believe that the future exists, that our actions matter, and that other people can be trusted. We also tend to believe life has meaning and that things can improve. These beliefs help us make decisions, keep hope, and move forward. Given that belief is a part of life, it is reasonable to have people believe in a God and a particular religion. My point is this. Life cannot happen without belief because we cannot know everything (unless we are God like). Belief i...
Post a Comment
Read more

God of direction

By
It is 323am and I have decided to write. I am thinking that I am a bucket of paint. A beautiful shade of blue. That God uses to paint the sky. How could I turn this into something worth writing about? My friend Chatty tells me that I could develop the idea by exploring the metaphor of myself as a bucket of blue paint and God as the painter using it to color the sky. The meaning comes from reflecting on what it feels like to be "used"—losing some of myself while helping create something beautiful. The paint may not see the whole picture and might fear being emptied, but its purpose is fulfilled when it becomes part of the sky. The piece can reflect on purpose, trust, surrender, and the idea that giving of yourself is how beauty is created. It is now 423am and I cannot think of a way to continue this writing. The sky is silent is what comes to my mind. How do I ask the sky to speak to me? I look through my window and I see patches of clouds against a dark sky. Maybe the night s...
Post a Comment
Read more