26 ADVISOR: Recruitment
BARRY WHELAN managing director of Excel Recruitment
www.excelrecruitment.com
5 ways to convince your company you can continue working from home Not looking forward to returning to the office? Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan offers five tips to approach a conversation on permanent remote working that will appeal to an employer’s priorities
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s the government returns workers to the office from 20 September, the question is beginning to arise in people’s heads all over the country; what if I never want to go back and how do I approach this with my employer?
1. Approach the conversation at the right time For this type of conversation, timing is crucial. It is vital that your employer does not feel as though you have waited until the last moment in order to broach this subject. They must be given an appropriate amount of time to fully assess the situation and any ramifications there might be for the company. Remember, they have many employees to think about and the decision they make for one must be applicable, in most cases, to all. To show that you are serious about the topic, be sure to schedule a one-to-one discussion well in advance to avoid anyone feeling as though they have been cornered.
2. Don’t make the conversation about you Make it about them It is vital that you show your employer that if the decision to let you work from home is made, that there is as much in it for them as there is for you. Do not let them think that this is purely for your benefit, show them how it will help them and the company by using tangible data that can accurately show your productivity while working from home.
Be prepared to cite your completed work and have examples of how working from home has aided you with this.
3. Share how you’ve optimised your WFH setup A creative way of showing your employer how dedicated you are is by providing them with evidence that you have taken definitive steps in orders to minimise distractions. By showing them you have a space devoted to your work - where family is not allowed to enter during working hours for example - this gives them one less thing to worry about. It also demonstrates your willingness to keep your performance levels high throughout each and every working day.
4. Come up with a reliable and sustainable communication strategy One of the most useful aspects from an employer’s perspective, of working from a physical office, is that you are constantly held accountable for your time. This is something that employers worry about when making WFH arrangements. To eliminate this concern, ensure that you have a plan to effectively communicate and collaborate with your team so that you are able stay on track with your work. One way to do this is by sending a weekly wrap-up email
As your boss is no longer seeing you in the office each day, you might propose a ‘weekly wrap up email’ which will allow your employer to stay up to date with you and your progress. In this email, outline any key contributions you may have made that week, and where you are currently with your tasks. This strategy will allow for full transparency between you and your employer and will help build and maintain trust.
5. Suggest a trial period
“Showing your employer that you have a space devoted to your work at home, gives them one less thing to worry about,” writes Barry Whelan
ShelfLife September 2021 | www.shelflife.ie
If your boss seems reluctant to let you work from home indefinitely, think about compromising by suggesting an initial temporary arrangement. What may suit best in the end could be a blend of work from home and from the office, or it may well turn out that your employer is so impressed by your standard of work from home that it becomes the permanent solution. The bottom line is that you must show your employer how working from home will not only benefit you, but how it will benefit them. Your increased happiness and comfort should ultimately lead to productivity which is the most critical element for your employers. ■
