Telecommuting has become the talk of the town with professional working women and men alike pleading for it. Employers have long resisted this practice, but are finally showing some leniency as recently shown in a Bayt.com professionals poll which stated 47% of ME employers are today allowing Telecommuting in their companies in an aim to support their personnel’s work - life balance.
Are you one of the many mothers and fathers who have been struggling to get the best of both ends: work and family? Does work always find its way to creep into your “family quality time” and keep you in the office after hours, over weekends, etc…? Has it become a bit too overwhelming with the morning traffic, family responsibilities and the never ending interruptions at the workplace? Have you been putting off the “Flexible Work Arrangement Please” talk with your superior?
Contrary to popular belief, telecommuting does not only benefit employees, but also employers: talk about reduced “call in sick” days, increased productivity, increased effectiveness, more employee commitment and thus accountability. There is thus no call for Panic, below are some of Top Tips to negotiate your way to Telecommuting:
1. Have a clear proposition:
Be prepared to share a clear win-win proposition with your management that clearly outlines how both parties will benefit from a flexible arrangement. Your objective should NOT include the desire to watch over children while you work or the preference to cook a gourmet dinner while working on a client project. A proposition centered more or less around “Less burnout/stress/commuting hassle" and thereby "More productivity” is what you should have in mind.
2. Be Reasonable:
Determine the amount of flexibility that the nature of your job allows. List down your job duties and run an assessment of what can be done remotely (i.e.: admin, research, etc.), and what would require your personal presence at the office (i.e.: client meetings, departmental meetings, etc...). This should give you an idea of how many hours a day (or days a week) you could potentially work from home.
3. Be Accessible:
Are you able to be just as available and attainable at home as you are at the office? It’s imperative that you are: may it be via e-mail, online chat, video conferencing, phone, fax- you might want to consider synchronizing your work email on your home PC/ Laptop and getting your home internet connection up-to-speed.
4. Be Committed:
If an employer is to put his trust in you and allow you flexible working hours, you too need to show that you are worthy of that trust. Make sure you have space at home which you will use solely for the purpose of “work” during your working hours from home- away from the outdoor tempting glare, the food’s exquisite smell and the neighbors’ entertaining conversations.
5. Draft a proposal:
Now that you have covered all the aforementioned, it is time to put it all down on paper in a compelling - yet transparent- proposal that you will take up to your superior for discussion. Rest assured, most companies today are aware of the importance of flexibility to working professionals and they do realize happy employees = more productive employees (you still might want to throw in a couple of employer benefits here and there).
Make sure your plan sheds light not only on WHAT your objectives are but also HOW you plan to complete your entire job tasks remotely. Be ready to be asked questions and keep in mind that you are a doer, regardless of your location, and must sell management on that fact. It’s YOU who makes or breaks the job (and not the other way around!). Happy Telecommuting!
