We Work Remotely: What To Do If Boss Restricts You To Work Remotely?
For most professionals in the United States, reporting to an actual office daily is not their best routine. Working from home statistic indicates that close to 43% of employed Americans have worked remotely at some moment in their life. Some companies like Dell, Amazon, and Twitter have the largest percentage of employees working remotely.
However, as the popularity of working remotely grows, some employers don’t support the idea—they believe remote working will affect workplace collaboration and productivity. Because of this, some employers don’t allow their employees to work remotely. What they don’t know is, working remotely has proven benefits for both employees and employers.
So, what should you do if your boss restricts you from working remotely? Should you quit your job or not? Below we discuss five pro tips to handle the issue of adapting to changes in the workplace. Let’s delve in!
We Work Remotely: First, check whether working remotely is a possibility for you
Here, you will need to ask yourself a few questions, like:
- Does your current position in the company allow you to work remotely?
- Can you work remotely from your position without any adjustments, difficulties, or cost to your clients or employer?
- Can you work remotely without compromising the security of your company?
Now, if the answers to these three questions are yes, it’s possible to work remotely.
To answer these questions better, create a list of all the things you can do remotely without any employer adjustments and the things that you cannot do without any adjustments from the employer. Now, reviewing this list will help you determine whether working remotely from your position is possible. However, it would help if you were realistic with this step because it’s essential.
Please note that some companies’ positions are highly-regulated or require high levels of security—thus, your boss cannot allow you to work remotely. Maybe, you are allowed to access emails and documents onsite.
Consult your HR department
Consult with your HR department to check if your company has policies governing remote work and why they are not being applied in your department. Also, check if any other employee from your department has been allowed to work remotely.
If you realize that your company once had a remote work policy in place, enquire why they eliminated it. In case you realize that some employees from other departments are working remotely, talk to them to see how working remotely is affecting them. Now, talk to your boss after gathering all these insights.
Present your case to your boss
Once you gather all the insights and determine that working remotely from your position is possible, present your case to your boss. However, you should find the best possible way to do it. Avoid presenting your case over lunch or coffee. Please note that you’ll be making a significant request. Therefore, you should be respectful and observe all protocols.
It’s a good idea to request an official meeting with your boss. Doing that allows your manager to create a specific time period where they have undivided attention. Besides, it would help if you were clear with why you want to meet your boss. Most people rarely commit to a meeting if they don’t know the topic of discussion.
Draft a plan
When your meeting is confirmed, don’t go into the meeting without a good plan. Think of all the questions that your boss might ask and come up with the best answers. Besides, prepare yourself to explain to your boss how you plan to work remotely and benefit your boss.
Here are some of the questions that you should be prepared to answer:
- Are you looking for part-time or full-time remote work?
- Are you willing to work remotely for a trial period? If you, when should you start and for how long you should work?
- Will you need any special access or equipment to work remotely?
- What time do you want to work remotely?
- How do you plan to communicate with your boss, clients, and co-workers? And, when can they reach you?
According to the experts from Allshore, a virtual staffing agency, you should create a written proposal for your request to work remotely. Note that your boss might not give you an answer immediately. However, a written proposal allows them to review and consider your plan later.
Convince your boss how working remotely benefits them
The last mistake you’d make when requesting your boss to allow you to work remotely is to tell them how the arrangement benefits you. While you will not have to deal with distraction and traffic when working remotely, focus on how the whole arrangement benefits your boss and the whole company.
Today, there are lots of materials online that can give you all the information you need about how working remotely benefits companies. So, you need to do thorough research and create a list of how and why your boss will benefit from working remotely. This list should be ready by the time you make the request.
Bottom Line
You will need to move slowly when you finally get permission to work remotely. Besides, always be ready to compromise. For instance, your boss might require you to work remotely and report to the office occasionally until they are confident that working remotely benefits them. Besides, you’ll need to put your best foot forward when your boss allows you to work remotely. Don’t let the work arrangement compromise the quality of your work. You will need to prove to your boss that allowing you to work remotely was the right decision.
