Working from home - how to request it from your employer

[smit0847]

I know this is a travel forum but surely someone on here has wanted/is working from home to avoid so much travelling!

I work in an office for a large corporation in the Melbourne CBD. Some days of the week I am very busy with meetings, seminars, collaboration etc. Other days (like Mondays and Tuesdays) I have none of these things and simply come into the office, do my work by myself and then go home.

I work in a fairly large specialised team - some team members work part-time, some work some days per week from home etc. Flexibility is encouraged. People (my superiors included) will often work from home if their children have appointments/are sick/special occasions etc. I have only been in my role for a year but have a very good relationship with my superiors. With my annual review approaching I have no doubt they will ask me if there is anything I would like for the next 12 months. I would like raise the possibility of working 1 day per week from home (probably Mondays). I have no real need to do this (though facing the trams in Melbournes freezing winters gets more and more difficult each winter!) but it is the one thing I could change that I would really value (I have no other requests - I love my job and plan to be here for many years).

When I raise it I want to have a bit of a case-plan worked out so it sounds logical. There are some arguments I could raise about needing to be home for deliveries, tradesmen etc (which is true though I currently manage this with my housemates who work different hours to me). This seems a bit week given I have survived for a year working 5 days a week in the office.

I honestly think provided I can show them that there is no 'dropping of the ball' by doing this on a trial basis (I will be contactable by email and phone just as I am in the office), I have a good enough relationship of trust with my superiors that they would allow it. I am concerned this may be pushing my luck a bit too far (the conditions of my job are excellent - maybe I am just being greedy!). My friends think it is ridiculous to even ask for it but I think they are just jealous because the conditions at my work are so much better than theirs. I have no plans to have this as a 'day off', just that it will be more comfortable sleeping slightly longer, wearing trackies all day and being able to listen to music while I work.

Has anyone requested this and had it approved or denied? How did you approach it? Something you really need to do or something that is more of a reward that you have earnt?

 

[Lawlass]

When I raise it I want to have a bit of a case-plan worked out so it sounds logical. There are some arguments I could raise about needing to be home for deliveries, tradesmen etc (which is true though I currently manage this with my housemates who work different hours to me). This seems a bit week given I have survived for a year working 5 days a week in the office.

Don't raise these personal issues at all. They don't care. They want to know how you working from home will benefit them, not you.

If you work in an open plan office or the type of office people are constantly dropping by for a chat, you have your argument right there. If you can pinpoint parts of your job that need deep concentration, it should be easy to convince TPTB that you would be more efficient working from home that one day a week.

As someone who works from home, though, it can be tough to get into work mode. It's a lot easier to procrastinate by suddenly realising the washing/cleaning/etc *has* to be done right now, before any work can be done.

Or responding to AFF posts.

 

[simongr]

Some parts of my organisation like WFH and others hate it. If they already have an established pattern of allowing it and assuming you have been reliable then I would go for it. It helps them as they do not need to provide resources for you in the office and even the basics of selling it to them in that it owuld just make your life a bit easier should be enough.

I would expect them to ask you to do some form of Workplace safety inspection to make sure that you are not being put at risk WFH - things like a proper/ergonomic work environment. Do you have sufficient connectivity to make WFH invisible to other people?

 

[haydensydney]

I think when you 'ask' to have a set WFH schedule, it does change the dynamics a little.

What I would suggest is to start taking the occasional WFH day and prove that you can actually perform your duties properly in the home environment. When they see that you're not a slacker and can get things done, you will be in a better position to seek more structured WFH arrangements.

I personally find it too distracting working from home so prefer to be in the office to get things done.

 

[BVT]

I think when you 'ask' to have a set WFH schedule, it does change the dynamics a little.

What I would suggest is to start taking the occasional WFH day and prove that you can actually perform your duties properly in the home environment. When they see that you're not a slacker and can get things done, you will be in a better position to seek more structured WFH arrangements.

I personally find it too distracting working from home so prefer to be in the office to get things done.

As someone who manages a large and diverse team - in terms of age/gender/domestic arrangements etc and operational responsibility - I agree with haydensydney.

When I get these requests, I always trial it on a half day or one day per week basis to see if it works. Always with the caveat that operational matters can override a day at home arrangement.

It can be helpful if the request is couched in terms of getting a project done, research, reading etc - something that needs quiet uninterrupted time! LawLAss is also correct. Employers may say that they care, but really ......

 

[vertisol]

I'm doing it today in fact.. my experience in a busy open plan environment is that out of say a standard 8 hour day in the office I only do 2-3 hours of solid work. The rest is taken up with ad-hoc meetings, chit chat and other distractions. My home office is just the thing for finishing reports/ readings etc.

On another note I used to work for our Canberra office but sat in the Sydney office without all of the team distractions and found that I could get a weeks worth of work done by lunchtime Tuesday

 

[nonpop]

Just start doing it without asking. Try 2 wks a month as a start. If anyone asks then tell them you are working from home and just continue with the discussion. Usually asking for permission is asking for scrutiny which you dont want. And have some email ready to be sent early AM and late PM so they think think they getting maximum effort from you. It then just becomes about them coming to terms with it and moving on. In time it should just happen if you make it.

 

[elbarto]

Just start doing it without asking. Try 2 wks a month as a start. If anyone asks then tell them you are working from home and just continue with the discussion. Usually asking for permission is asking for scrutiny which you dont want. And have some email ready to be sent early AM and late PM so they think think they getting maximum effort from you. It then just becomes about them coming to terms with it and moving on. In time it should just happen if you make it.

But it's not always that easy. In the organisation I work for you have to get security tokens etc to log in, and without that access I couldn't do my job.

 

[Grooba]

Just start doing it without asking. Try 2 wks a month as a start. If anyone asks then tell them you are working from home and just continue with the discussion. Usually asking for permission is asking for scrutiny which you dont want. And have some email ready to be sent early AM and late PM so they think think they getting maximum effort from you. It then just becomes about them coming to terms with it and moving on. In time it should just happen if you make it.

Exactly my methodology. I just decided I'd stay at home on days I had no travel booked. I fugured as long as I didn't drop the ball professionally no one would notice. I was correct After a few months my superior did realize it but as I was still just as productive at home (actually I believe I was more productive) he was quite happy for it to continue, which made my day.

Nothing beats a happy working relationship with your boss, as long as it works both ways.

 

[nickykim]

Always bettEr to ask than to just do it presuming / hoping it okay. Identify the projects and trial for x weeks.

However, from a management perspective the oh&s issue s are ugly so if you want to do it on a fixed schedule think about hw your home wrk place mets minimum standards.

And working from home is NOT a way to manage dependant care issues.

 

[Fantic125]

Certainly put it on the table for discussion, and be prepared to negotiate specific conditions for it to occur.

I would suggest start with Tuesday as the nominated day; that way any white-anters in the office can't undermine it as a 'long-weekend'. If it is agreed that you can work 1 day a week from home, make sure it is communicated clearly to your work colleagues which day it is, the exact hours you can be contacted, and how; email, mobile, Skype, etc. Once work colleagues are used to the concept and it's working, you may be able to change the day (keep in mind though, most Public Holidays occur on a Monday or Friday so you would lose that work at home day in that week ).

• Don't use personal reasons (deliveries, tradespeople, etc, etc) as an argument; to me that would infer you would be spending time supervising them instead of working.
• If possible, identify specific projects or targets that you can work on and review with your boss on a fortnightly/monthly basis to prove you're not 'slacking off' by working from home.
• Set up a specific work station/home office where you put your 'game face' on. Once you step into it, you're at work. Step out to make coffee, have lunch, etc, but when you're there you work. Communicate this clearly to your housemates, family, etc. so they are aware of this too. Ensure it is ergonomic, even if space is limited. If the company can't provide it, then it is tax deductible anyway. Take photo's of the work station/home office, bring them into work and arrange a meeting with the OHS/Safety Rep to review and sign off as acceptable.

Ultimately it will be up to you to prove that it works, so schedule regular reviews with your supervisor to ensure they are happy with your continued performance.
Good luck.

 

[harvyk]

I worked from home for 4 years, there are certainly pros and cons to such an arrangement.

Pros:
- You can get out of bed at 8:28 and still be on time at 8:30

- You can finish work at 17:30, and be in front of the TV (or whatever other relaxation you like) at 17:31

- No paying for petrol and parking \ public transport and wasting time on a commute

- You do not need to physically be in any one city to do your work, it's quite possible to be physically in a different city \ town (Dad works from home, he "works" in CBR, and yet lives on the south coast)


Cons:
- It becomes very hard to simply call it a day at 17:30. It's amazing how frequently it hits 20:30 and you’re doing "just one quick thing" because you have your work sitting there

- It can become very difficult to "switch off" on weekends, especially if your home office between your bedroom and lounge room (or any other frequently accessed room). In my case, for the first year I was working at home my "office" was sitting just opposite my bedroom, which served as a big reminder. I did move the office out to my garage which was about the best move I could have made.

- It can become very lonely working from home. You do end up missing the office interactions. Those impromptu meetings and coffee breaks which are considered a big time waster can have marvellous side effects of ensuring social interaction. When I worked from home, I actually loved it when I did go into offices, just because there were other people there, not because I was necessarily going to talk to anyone.

- It can become very difficult for other family members and friends, both living with you and not living with you to distinguish between your "work hours" and "home hours". In the end I needed to have a rule with Mrs Harvyk, that she could only come and talk to me about issues which she would have actually picked up the phone and called me about had I not been there. As for small children and pets, that was a different story.

- It's very easy to simply want to take a day off here and there, that TV and couch (or other hobby) can look very inviting.

- No commute, funny enough, the commute is a blank time, where by neither pressures of work or pressures of home can really get to you. Funny as it seems, you do miss it.


I'm sure there are a few others which I haven't put down (on both sides). Either way I would suggest you approach your boss with the suggestion that you'd like to work from home, and suggest a trial period of say 6 weeks. This will give you a chance to test if working from home is all it's cracked up to be, it’ll also give your boss a change to test the waters from their end.

 

[juddles]

.... Employers may say that they care, but really ......

As a boss rather than an employee, I have to disagree with you there. Obviously I care that staff do the things that the company needs to be done, but I also care that the staff are happy. Part of that is because I believe happy staff are good staff, but also I am not interested in running a company which uses, rather than supports, our employees. It is a personal moral. If you deny that belief, you may be right in many companies, but not all. And by making such a generalization you are undermining those of us who are trying to do things right. (*end of rant*)

As for this thread, my advice (coming from the other end) is to simply be honest. I dont want staff to change without one of the following:
1.- better productivity for the company
2.- equal benefit to company but improved staff quality of life/work
In my experience, some people work superbly from home. All the positive aspects it should bring become reality. But with some others it definitely becomes a situation where they are barely present for their time away. You have to manage each case separately.

At the end of the day, talk to your boss. If you cant do that, forget trying to rock the boat.