The Coronavirus pandemic pushed employees out of the office and into their own homes for work. While not everyone embraced the challenge, most of us eventually began to enjoy telecommuting. Gone were the hurried mornings, rushing through breakfast and rushing off to work through rush hour traffic. Mornings during the Covid era came with breakfast at the table and setting up your workspace in the comfort of your own home.
You settled into a routine, found yourself more productive, and have proven to the powers that be that you are responsible enough to work remotely. Now you wonder how you’ll ever return to the rat race. You’re not alone.
Here are a few things you can do to state your case to convince your employer to allow you to keep working remotely in in a post-COVID-19 world.
Assemble Your Facts & Talking Points
Before you schedule a time to speak with your manager to discuss telecommuting on a permanent basis, let’s get your ducks in a row. You’ll need to be able to show how productive you have been, the benefits to the company, and how this would work after everything has returned to normal.
As soon as you know that you want to continue working remotely, start jotting down your talking points. Also, check online to find out all the benefits of working from home. Look for resources that specifically address your industry. Some of those positive outcomes of telecommuting include improved employee engagement, improved work-life balance, financial savings for the company and employees, and happier employees overall.
Apply These Points Above To Your Experience
Tailor those facts and talking points to your specific situation. Focus on your time during this past year when you were working remotely. Make note of your work accomplishments, positive feedback from your employer and co-workers, and examples of your ability to effectively collaborate with your team and clients.
Establish A Plan For Working Remotely
Figure out ahead of time what telecommuting would look like for you. This way you will be able to address any concerns and questions before they arise. Think about these things the work schedule you plan to propose, digital tools you’ll use for collaboration and security, and even a trial period to give remote work a try.
Ensuring Productivity And Security When Working From Home
You must be able to demonstrate how you have been able to be productive from home. Put together a list of your achievements during this past year from home. If you have closed more deals or taken more calls, for example, this needs to be documented to present them with the statistics.
Think about projects you submitted on time or early, new clients you have brought on board, how you have controlled the budget or saved the company money and have any positive feedback that you received in writing to show. You should also be able to show that you can work securely. One suggestion is that you utilize a VPN to keep client and company data safe.
Show How Responsive You Are And How It Benefits The Company
Make sure that you have been online, responsive to emails, and present for meetings. Not just present but involved and contributing to the team regularly. Give the organization ways that telecommuting benefits them, include time that can be directed towards projects instead of commuting.
Meet With Your Manager
Once you have amassed all that you will need to make a convincing argument, it’s time to set up an in-person or virtual meeting. Have your supporting documents ready and start with, “I’ve been telecommuting for 6 months and in that time, I’ve been able to…” and list your accomplishments. Discuss how your team has worked well together virtually with specific examples.
Go over all your talking points and then present your request, “I would like to continue to telecommute once everything has opened up again.” If you see that there is some hesitation, offer to address any concerns. Once the conversation is over follow-up with your request and talking points in writing.
There is a chance that you can make this temporary remote work situation a permanent one. But remember that even if you have put forth the most convincing of arguments, your employer may decide that everyone must come back into the office. We wish you the best of luck in getting the perfect situation worked out for you!