How To Ask Your Boss To Let You Work From Home

If you don't ask, you will never know. That is the attitude you should have when considering working from home. Just one step closer to being completely location independent.

Step 1: Establish trust.
Trust really is the most important factor when considering working from home. If you can't be trusted to do your work in a timely fashion when you are in the office, how can you be trusted to complete your workload when sitting in a cafe?

Most supervisors like to see you working. If they can see you working, then you must be doing your job, therefore they are doing their job also. Showing your supervisor or boss that you can work autonomously without the need for constant supervision gets you one step closer to be able to work from home.

Step 2: Have a legitimate reason to have to work at home for a day.
Perhaps an electrician needs to visit your home to fix some light fittings or a plumber needs to come and figure out why your water heater isn't heating. There are legitimate reasons for you to be at home during the day. Do not lie. See step 1 if it's not obvious why lying is bad.

When you discuss the work from home option with your boss, for that day, let them know how you can be contacted, what work you can do from home, and then thank them for allowing you to work from home.

Step 3: Make the working at home day count.
Do your best on that day. Really show your boss what you are capable of when working away from the office. This is not the time to start watching a television series just because you are at home.

Step 4: Share your experience.
Thank your boss for letting you work at home for that day. Let them know exactly what you achieved and how quickly you achieved it.

Step 5: Ask to work from home again.
Now that you have experienced working from home and can see how good it can be. Ask your boss again. Start small. Perhaps request working from home one day a week. This way you can still interact with your co-workers for four days of the week so communication will stay just about the same.

Step 6: Make that one day a week working from home count.
Do as much as you can on that working day. You want to be seen as though you are capable of doing this long term. Showing your supervisor that you can work remotely, and do it well. There is no time for slacking off here. Make sure you stick to the normal office hours so that your co-workers and customers can contact you like normal.

Step 7: Slowly expand your work from home days.
Showing your supervisor or boss that you can work from home will help you expand to further days working remotely. A note of caution here – if your work style plummets, it looks bad on your supervisor too. Make these days count.

Step 8: Work is still work.
No matter whether you are in an office cubicle or sitting at your kitchen table or at a coffee shop, work is still work. Don't slack off.