How to Talk to Your Boss About Staying Remote Indefinitely
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people began to work remotely. In many ways, this increased productivity and even helped workers establish a better work-life balance. However, some organizations are looking to return to the workplace now that vaccinations are readily available and the spread has slowed down. If you want to remain in your comfy home office, here are some ways to talk to your boss about staying remote indefinitely.
Gather Supporting Evidence
Gather some evidence supporting why you should be able to stay remote. You may have been able to get more done at home and there are probably a plethora of personal reasons you want to stay remote. Chances are, your employer doesn’t care much about those things though. You need to come up with some solid evidence backing why you should be able to continue working remotely from a professional standpoint. Show that working remotely will help you contribute to the organization in a more meaningful way.
Maybe you have been more productive from your home office or it has increased your morale. You’ll need statistics or hard data to back you up here. Time yourself doing specific tasks and record other key metrics. For example, if there is a repeated task that is part of your duties, make note of how long it takes you to complete it at home. If it took you three hours to complete in the office but only takes you about an hour and a half at home you may have a good piece of evidence to support you staying remote.
Demonstrate You Are An Ideal Remote Worker
If you are going to be one of the only people working from home you need to demonstrate that you are a model remote employee. To do this, you need to show up to meetings on time and keep your online status up to date. Both of these things show your employer that you are focused and easy to communicate with within the remote setting.
Beyond that, you should set up a designated workspace in your home. Although you can work from bed, you shouldn’t. Having a space that you have dedicated to being productive will show your employer that you take your remote work seriously. You should also make sure that any time you are supposed to be working that you are in this office space.
Anticipate Their Questions
Get ready for your boss to have some questions regarding your request, especially if the rest of the office is returning to in-person work. While you don’t know all of the questions they may ask, you can anticipate some of the most common ones. For instance, many employers will want to know how you plan to attend team meetings. To answer this, do some research ahead of time about the best video conferencing apps and let them know you will have a reliable digital tool so you can be present.
They may also ask things like how the team will reach you, what your schedule will look like, how projects will be tracked, and how you plan to stay connected socially. Come prepared with answers to these questions as well. For example, you should say that you’ll keep your status online when you are working so that people know when they can communicate most effectively.
Even if your boss won’t consider allowing you to stay remote indefinitely, the number of remote jobs is expanding. Consider working with an agency like The Bradley Group to find a position that fits your personal and professional needs.
