How to Ask Your Employer About Working from Home

Technology and changing trends in the work place has made it possible to telecommute from
your home. More companies are adopting telework policies that allow their employees to work
from home. At times it is left to the discretion of management as to whether or not to allocate
telecommute days among their staff members.    

Now you may love your job and the people in which you work with or the workplace setting in
general, but desire to telework, you may want to think about asking your employer if you can
work from home.  Even if your company allows teleworking from home it may be an idea your
immediate manager might not necessarily support, but you still want to give it a try.  After all,
inquiring should not cause any harm

Before outlining how you can go about asking your supervisor if you can work from home, it is
important to make sure that it would even be possible for you to do so.  This requires examining
a number of different points. First, you will want to examine if it is even possible for you to work
from home.  Can you complete all of your tasks and duties from home?  You will want to make
sure that your job is something that you can even do from home. For instance, if you are a
company greeter and your job involves greeting and directing all clients to the right department,
you will likely be unable to perform your required tasks at home.

Secondly, you will want to examine if you have the equipment needed to work from home.  The
equipment that you will need to work from home will all depend on your company, as well as your
job tasks.  Although there will be some variances, you will likely need to have a business phone,
business phone service, a copy machine, fax machine, a computer, and possibly even high speed
internet.  If you do not already have these items in your possession, you will need to examine the
cost of purchasing them.

Thirdly, you will want to examine your ability to work from home. As nice as it is to be able to work
from home, you should know that working from home just is not right for everyone.  You will want
to make sure that you are able to stay focused and stay on task without supervision from your
boss.  If you cannot do so or if you are unsure if you will have a problem, you may want to
reconsider working from home.  Saying that you are more than capable of working from home,
when you are actually not, can have dire consequences.  You may end up putting your job,
as well as your good name in jeopardy.

If, after considering the above mentioned points, you think that you would be a good work at home
candidate, you will want to work on your approach.  You will not want to ask your supervisor about
working from home on an impulse.  You will want to carefully plan out your approach.  You want to
so in a professional matter.  You should ask about working from home in a formal meeting that
you have set up. Try and avoid asking your supervisor over the phone or in an email.

Before your scheduled meeting is to take place, you will want to make sure that you have �all of your
bases covered.�  Put together a pros and cons list that you can use to outline both the advantages
and disadvantages of working from home.  You should also have a good reason as to why you, in
particular, want to work from home, as your manager will likely ask. 

When asking your supervisor about the possibility of working from home, you will want and need
to sell yourself.  It would be advisable that you draw up a pros and cons list.  You will also want to
prepare for this meeting with practice.  See if any of your friends or family members would like to
play the role of your boss in mock meeting.  Practicing your approach may help to ease any
nervousness that you may have.

======================================================================== 
For more information on Education and Employment related topics Doyle invites you to visit:
Knowledge For Work
========================================================================