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8 good reasons to convince your manager to consider a far more flexible workspace. Convince your manager for good about the advantages of flexible dealing with these compelling statistics from around the globe.
Exactly what do professionals say? “Managers who grant their teams autonomy can assess if they’d like to have confidence in them, how good they’re managing their workload under direction as well as their commitment and motivation,” repeat the authors from the report. “Rather than the usual concentrate on hrs at work, the main focus must shift to outputs and results. ”
- The benefits of flexible working are highly publicized and increasingly obvious to the average worker. But, sometimes it takes a little longer for the top brass to be convinced. Oliver Pickup reports eight stats that will convince your boss once and for all
- Improve your recruitment
- Boost your bottom line
- Encourage employee loyalty
- Increase your profits
- It’s hard to argue with the data – there are plenty of compelling reasons to work flexibly
- Keep up with your competitors
- Enjoy more productive workers
- Take your lead from small and medium-sized businesses
- Unlock employee motivation
Video advice: How should you ask your boss about flexible working?
What do the experts say? “Employers are telling us that flexible working boosts profits while their employees tell us they’re more productive,” says Vodafone Group Enterprise Chief Executive Nick Jeffery. “Central to all of this are the new technologies that are reshaping every sector, from high-speed mobile data networks and fixed-line broadband to the latest collaborative cloud services. We truly are in an era when work is what you do, not where you go.
How to Negotiate a Flexible/Remote Work Schedule With Your Employer
The future of many jobs is remote work. While some roles, such as waiting tables or physically examining patients in a doctor’s office, require a person to be on-site, you can do most 21st-century jobs from pretty much anywhere. Modern technology, such as videoconferencing platforms like Zoom and messaging services such as Slack, make it easy for people to stay in touch and communicate throughout the workday.
Make it as easy as possible for your boss to contact you when you’re working remotely. Provide a phone number where they can reach you during business hours as well as an email address (if you don’t have work email) and instant messaging handle. You might want to set up a regular check-in with the boss so they can rest assured you’re doing your work while at home.
- Find Strength in Numbers
- Find Supporting Evidence
- Focus on the Benefits for Your Employer
- Create a Plan
- When You’ll Work From Home
- How Your Boss Can Contact You
- What Communication Software You Can Use
- What Equipment You Need
- How You’ll Submit Assignments or Otherwise Demonstrate You’ve Been Working
Final Word
Reduce the Spread of Illness. Getting through the cold and flu season in an office can be brutal. Even when companies offer paid sick days, some employees don’t stay home when they’re coughing, sneezing, or otherwise clearly ill. Sick employees on the job, even if they just have the common cold, put everyone else at risk. When you work from home, you reduce the chances of someone giving you whatever’s going around. You’re also less likely to spread your own germs. Improve Work-Life Balance. While you still have to perform your tasks and assignments when you work remotely, it can be easier to balance the chores of daily life with your work responsibilities. I’ve been working from home for over a decade and have found ways to squeeze in tasks like laundry, vacuuming, and even baking bread between work projects each week. Increased Schedule Flexibility. Convincing your employer to let you work remotely can also mean convincing your employer to give you and your co-workers more flexible work arrangements.
9 Valuable Tips for Negotiating Down to a Part-Time Schedule – Two parents with 40 hour work weeks can be hard for families to juggle. If a part time schedule would suit yours better, these tips can help you get it.
Requesting a part-time schedule requires face-to-face conversations with your manager. Come armed, however, with a written summary or email one after your initial meeting. Your manager may need to reference the details later and will need the information for potential discussions with upper management and HR.
- 1 | Assess your options.
- 2 | Consider the company climate.
- 3 | Make yourself invaluable.
- 4 | Ask for more than you need.
- 5 | Address potential pitfalls upfront.
- 6 | Request a short-term commitment only.
- 7 | Create a written plan.
- 8 | Plan for the process to take time.
- 9 | Know your limit.
How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From Home
If you want to work from home, this article provides tips on how you can convince your boss to allow you to work from home.
Your employer may not be able to give you all the supplies you need. Further, you need to have a quiet home office space from which to work. Will you need a desktop computer or a laptop? If you need a laptop computer, will you use yours? Or does the office supply them? Does your office currently have laptops?
- Do You Have the Self-discipline and Organizational Skills?
- Do You Have Enough Space and the Equipment to Work from Home?
- Is Childcare Available?
- Make a list of all your job duties.
- Does Your Company Offer Work from Home?
- Assess How Your Boss Views Work from Home
- Toot Your Horn
- Company Benefits to You Working from Home
- Competitors
- Anticipate Objections
- Information on your value to the company.
- Outline How the Company Benefits
Present Your Proposal in Person
You’ll need to make time for work and setting a schedule if you plan to be successful working from home. That means pulling out your calendar or planner and scheduling work time. In other words, you’ll need organizational skills and the discipline to stay focused amid distractions. Effective time management skills are needed for stay-at-home workers that include setting goals, planning the daily workload, and not wasting time. You must be certain that you can overcome any obstacles, distractions, and stay focused on your work before committing to working from home.
Working from home: how to persuade your boss to let you work remotely
- Assess the situation
- Identify why you want to work from home – and the benefits for your company
- Speak to your network
- Know your rights
- Arm yourself with a draft schedule
- How will your boss manage you?
- Ask in person, not via email
- Listen to their concerns
- Prepare for disappointment
Has all that talk of ‘flexible working’ made you keen to work from home? Here’s how to ask your boss…Workplaces around the country are starting to wake up to the many benefits of offering flexible working to their staff. In fact, the LinkedIn 2019 Workplace Trends Report showed that the number of LinkedIn members who said flexi-working is very important when considering a job increased from 25% in 2013 to 31% by 2017. That said, taking the plunge and asking your manager to work from home can often be nerve wracking. For many businesses your individual circumstances may be legitimate, but it may also then set a precedent for all employees – and that can make them less inclined to approve your request. There are a number of things to bear in mind when broaching this topic with your boss, but above all, remember that if it doesn’t happen this time around, treat it as an ongoing conversation with your manager about how working from home could benefit both you and your company. Assess the situationThe first thing I’d advise doing is a bit of desk research to help make a really strong case to your manager.
These statistics and tips can help employees petition their bosses for work from home privileges.
- Outline Your Accomplishments
- Call on Facts
- Personalize Your Approach
- Be Ready to Compromise
- Know Your Technological Needs
- Sample Email Template
What to Say to Your Boss
While some people are perfectly content to hop in the car for their morning commute or squeeze their way into a packed train to get home after a day at work, many more prefer the idea of rolling out of bed and finding themselves magically transported to their office. Of course, there needn’t be any magic involved if you work from home. In 2016, more than 43 percent of employees spent at least some time working from home. Thirty-one percent of those employees work from home four to five days per week. Compared to previous years, more bosses are allowing their employees the flexibility to spend at least some of their work time outside of the office. In fact, the number of people telecommuting in the U.S. increased an astounding 115 percent between 2005 and 2015. The increase in WFH opportunities is well-reasoned from the perspective of both employees and employers. Employees that are able to telecommute are typically more engaged, less likely to leave their job, and ultimately happier because they reduce or eliminate their commute time and are able to spend more time with their families and friends.
How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work Remotely
Remote work continues to grow, with proven benefits for both employers and employees, but many people don’t have the option to work remotely. So how do you convince your manager to let you work remotely? Here’s a step-by-step guide for doing just that.
Video advice: Making Flexible Work; the benefits of job sharing for employees
The age of working remotely is here—and here to stay. Over the last 20 years, remote work has shown steady growth, and research suggests that remote work will continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Part of the reason why working remotely is on the rise is people with the option to work remotely are far more likely to love their jobs than those who don’t have the option; remote workers enjoy the freedom to create flexible schedules around work, family responsibilities, and other activities. And according to Global Workplace Analytics, millennials in particular desire the freedom that remote working offers. However, while remote work continues to grow, with proven benefits for both employers and employees, a large portion of the U.S. workforce doesn’t have the option to work remotely—even part-time. So how do you convince your employer to let you work remotely if you aren’t already? Below is a step-by-step guide for doing just that. 1. Is It a Possibility? First, you need to ask yourself some questions: Is working remotely possible for you in your position?
Convincing your boss to let you work from home (template included)
Do you work for a company that hasn’t yet embraced a work from home option? If so, there may be a way to convince the powers-that-be to consider making a change. What’s the secret to getting your boss to be open to this possibility? We have it.
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- Eric Titner
Thanks to innovations in technology in recent years, the work world is changing at breakneck speed—and many of these changes are affecting how we perform our jobs on a daily basis. One big change involves where we do our jobs—everything from new teleconferencing apps like GoToMeeting to advances in mobile computing have made it possible for many of us to successfully do our jobs from anywhere, including work from home. Some progressively minded companies have really embraced this option, and are allowing their employees more flexible schedules that include a work from home option. This can be a real perk for current and prospective employees, and it can also benefit the companies as well—lost time spent getting ready for work and commuting often gets regained and poured into being more productive and employees who are empowered with a work from home option are often more enthusiastic and motivated on the job. Other companies, for one reason or another, have been more reluctant to allow their employees a work from home option—with the unfortunate result being that both employers and employees fail to benefit from the opportunity.
How to convince your boss to let you set your own hours
These nine arguments will help you win the battle.
‘I’ll want to work harder.’ – Some people genuinely enjoy the structure of a 9 to 5 schedule. But it’s certainly not for everyone. And, as it turns out, there are tons of benefits of setting your own hours — though some managers are hesitant to offer employees that kind of flexibility. Over the last few months, psychologist Ron Friedman, the founder of Ignite80 and author of “The Best Place to Work,” has been organizing an online summit on peak work performance, featuring his discussions with 26 of the world’s top productivity experts, including Daniel Pink, Gretchen Rubin, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Tracy Brower.
6 Ways to Convince Your Boss to Continue Working From Home
You can still continue to work from home if you approach the conversation with your boss the right way.
Describe how productivity can be affected if you get sick – When the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, everyone was forced to work from home irrespective of the kind of job they were doing. At first, this change was understandably difficult, but gradually people started to figure out how to manage work-life balance. Now, most workers have embraced this new flexible lifestyle and it has become the normal way of life. You can work from any remote location and still be productive in the comfort of your home (or your vacation spot). All you need is a laptop with a camera, good headphones and an internet connection. Workers save time and money by not having to commute to offices for hours and have more energy to do creative work. This is the new age we live in, and it has changed the paradigm of work moving forward. As more people are getting vaccinated, businesses have started to open up and are mandating employees return to work in physical locations, five days a week. This has rubbed many employees the wrong way, as they have gotten so used to working remotely and feel their employers are forcing them to make a change.
Persuading employers to offer flexible work benefits is an art. Use these tips to open up the conversation about work flexibility with your boss.
If your company isn’t outwardly displaying its flexible work benefits to its employees, your task at convincing your boss to let you work a flexible arrangement could be tricky. There is an art to persuading professionals to give the benefits of flexible work a try. These tips are designed to set you up for success when asking your company to offer flexible work options to its employees.
- Get an early start.
- Do the research first.
- Put the company first.
- Pitch a trial period.
- Start Your Job Search. Sign Up for FlexJobs Today!
Here are four tips for requesting flexible work benefits at your company:
Offering a trial period for your flexible work arrangement may put some of your boss’s concerns at ease. Prove to your employer that you are serious about your arrangement by putting together a formal plan explaining your new schedule and how you plan to allot your time. Be sure to include how often and in what capacity you will check in with your supervisors. If all goes well, your work will speak for itself and after experiencing it firsthand, your boss will no longer be able to deny the benefits of flexible work.
Want to work from home? 7 arguments to convince your manager
If Covid-19 hasn’t convinced your employer to approve your request to work from home, maybe these 7 arguments will.
Increase motivation, reduce sick days – Even before Covid-19, there were many reasons why you might have wished to work remotely a few days a week: keeping your balance on packed commuter trains, sweating profusely on the Tube or being stuck in another seemingly endless traffic jam, to name but a few. Not to mention the time you could save working without the legislated coffee breaks, idle office chat and protracted team lunches. In 2019, only 5% of active workers in the UK reported working from home for their main job, but more than a quarter had experienced telework. Remote working opportunities have previously varied according to the sector, level of education and experience required, and even age. Welcome to the Jungle has seven convincing arguments so you can get your employer to approve remote working. The basics of remote workingTelecommuting involves performing work outside your company’s offices, either full-time or just a few days a week. There is no specific legislation dedicated solely to remote working in the UK. Instead, it falls under the category of “flexible working arrangements”, which also includes job-sharing, part-time, compressed hours, flexitime, annualised hours, staggered hours and phased retirement.
How to Convince Your Boss to Let You WFH, Forever!
Research reveals that working from home benefits employees and organizations.
Be certain the technology needed to communicate with the office is up to date, effective, and easily accessible. Cybersecurity is paramount, so be sure you have secure Wi-Fi (WPA2), encryption capability, firewall protection, anti-virus software, and continually changed, difficult-to-hack passwords.
For many individuals, the choice is easy: work virtually in pajamas, attend online meetings, and do whatever is necessary to be successful. A recent survey by Wakefield Research on behalf of the high-tech company Envoy indicated that 73 percent of employees believed the traditional pre-COVID workplace had serious risks to personal health and safety. In addition, many WFH employees believe that avoiding the traditional workplace promotes productivity and a better work-life balance. However, not everyone agrees.
Video advice: Go Ahead, Tell Your Boss You Are Working From Home
[FAQ]
How do I ask my boss for more flexibility?
How to ask for more flexibility
- Perform extraordinarily. Asking for any kind of flexibility must be based on delivering great results and having a positive track record. ...
- Deliver a straightforward request. ...
- Consider the business and your team. ...
- Maintain open lines of communication. ...
- Don't go overboard.
Can I ask my employer for flexible working?
Employees who do not have the legal right to request flexible working are of course free to ask their employer if they can work flexibly, many employers are willing to consider such requests.
Do you have to give a reason for requesting flexible working?
The right to request flexible working is no longer limited to requests made for the purpose of enabling the employee to care for someone and there is no requirement on the employee to set out their reason for making the request. That does not mean, however, that the reason for the request is irrelevant.
How do you ask for flexibility at work?
Start by asking questions about this during the interview process—rather than approaching the employer with your own demands. You can ask clarifying questions about the company culture, how they prioritize work-life balance, and even the company's views on flexible work arrangements in particular.
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from Essentials of Human Resource Management | |
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from Human Resource Management | |
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from A Handbook of Employee Reward Management and Practice | |
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from Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties | |
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from Human Resource Management |
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