How to tell your Boss you want to Work from Home
1) Do research about what can and can’t be done from home. Be specific with your conclusions.
2) Be specific about the ‘measurables’, which will prove that your performance will increase by working from home. Specify start and finish times, review procedures, extra duties, personal goals and add in those special projects the boss has always wanted you to do, but which you have never found the time to complete.
3) Start small, suggesting just one day a week growing to two to three times per week.
4) Display your commitment by installing an ADSL line and a separate Telkom Closer Calling Plan line (free local calls) package. Buy your own notebook computer if you don’t already have one.
5) Check to see if some or all of your company’s software applications are web-based. If so (which is happening more and more often) then working on your notebook at home will allow you to access the same data you would from the office. Check to see if your company switchboard can route calls to your home office as well.
6) Set up the correct software solutions. Collaborative software such as Skype, Microsoft SharePoint, and Google Docs will show that you and your job activities will always be in touch even if you are not in the office.
7) Your proposal must be about the benefits to the company. It is not about you!
8) Remember it is easier to convert a job into a telecommuting one than to find one that’s home-based from the get go.
9) Summarise the expectations of your company and your goals in a management document and have your boss sign it off.
10) Accept that as a home-worker you will have to manage your relationship with your boss and company far more seriously. Consider it vital that you make the effort to keep everyone in the loop about all your projects and activities. It’s also wise to consider that you may not be successful working from home and that it does not suit everyone.
Now get prepared and make that appointment with your boss.
By Warick Chandler-Smith
Read more small business trends, news and advice at http://www.bizassist.co.za
