Our marketing manager, Andrew Sheehan, joined Jennifer Zamparelli on her 2FM morning show, the "sound of the nation" recently. Jennifer and Andrew discussed how you can approach your boss to ask to continue working remotely, permanently.
Below is a full transcript of their conversation and a helpful Q&A on ways you can make working remotely a permanent fixture in your life.
Jennifer asks the questions and Andrew provides the answers for you:
"Firstly, what are the pros and cons of remote working from home when it’s going to be for the long term?
We’ve definitely all woken up to the pros and cons of working from home:
Some of the pros include:
The fact that people's quality of life has somewhat improved as the morning commute has been removed from your day, for instance.
Depending on peoples working environments, many are more productive working from home - particularly introverts which has long term sociological benefits.
And working from home has brought people closer to family; people are saving quite a bit of money and it allows people to work in their own way and in their on time which taken together has brought a lot of happiness back into people's lives now and in the future.
Like every big decision, there are also a few cons with working remotely permanently which include:
Less face-time with your colleagues and possibly less camaraderie as a result. This is particularly so with extroverts that excel in high energy and busy environments.
This also brings a level of anxiety for many, particularly if we knew others were back in the office but you decided to work from home permanently. If you are missing out, it's possible that you may be forgotten in the long run which is not somewhere you want to be.
But there are certainly ways to overcome this…
Before asking to change, what would you need to consider to make sure that the type of work you do can be done from home on a permanent basis?
Throughout this unusual global experiment, we’ve seen that most jobs can be done remotely. However, that all changes when some are working from home and some are working in the office. It’s going to be a new experiment and i believe people will need to get the balance right.
Largely speaking, our presence is one of our greatest influencing tools and so jobs that require influencing people to see your vision for a project, for example, would be more suited in person.
Depending on your position, you might be needed in-person to motivate your team to boost activity and moral.
And so, it’s less about what work you do and more about how you get that work done and the working environments of the people you need to help you that should be a deciding factor.
Will you have had to prove yourself at the office before your supervisor would trust you to work from home?
Traditionally, yes. Many companies saw working from home as something that is earned over time. This is particularly so for those that need access to sensitive information from home, such as accountants for instance.
But in the last 5 years, in particular, many companies realised that if working from home makes certain employees happier and more productive, then they have provided it as an option from the beginning. With our help, companies have a good interview process that’s based on trust. It’s our job at RECRUITERS.ie to promote the fact that our clients that have this option (or “perk”) to the market as part of our clients employer branding strategy and to give them an edge over bigger brands to attract great people to work with them.
So you’ve decided to go for it, how do you approach the boss about making the move, doing your research is crucial I would imagine?
Yes, you need to understand how your boss works and how working from home permanently fits in with your company culture and your team's regular routines.
If working from home is still seen as a privilege, then similar to asking for a raise, you will need to plan your case. Don't just tell them that your activity and output increased during the lockdown, show it. If it increased as a result of you working longer hours, remember that this will be your new benchmark, rightly or wrongly.
You are more likely to be successful in your request if you can show that you've carefully planned out what your remote working schedule would look like.
And just be honest with your employer. Explain how much you have enjoyed working from home, how it's helped your confidence and any personal situations.
In terms of allowing you to work from home full time, what would a manager be looking at when making their decision on it?
Ultimately, they will be focussing on your activity, your output and your engagement with your colleagues. It’s vital for companies to keep your culture intact and they want to see that you can still contribute to this from home. Lockdown should have given you plenty of examples of how working from home has benefited you and the company, so don't be afraid to share them
Would it be best to ask to do a couple of days a week, with a view to extending that out to full time or should you go for broke on it?
I think if you’re going to try and make this work for you then you need to go for broke on it. You will need to learn fast and half in / half out will make that more difficult.
Is it important not to promise too much to your employer to avoid having to do twice as much work from home?
It’s always important to set clear expectations with your manager/employer. As I mentioned, if your activity increased as a result of you working longer hours at home during lockdown, remember that this will be your new benchmark, rightly or wrongly.
If your boss says no to your request, is there anything you can do about it?
Not at that moment in time. But turn what you might think is negative into a positive - think your employer needs you, they need your presence and your influence on others in the office where it is needed more. Overtime, things change as so will your boss’s decisions if you’ve shown great leadership in how you handled previous knocks.
Finally, if you do end up working remotely full time and after a year or so you decide it’s not working anymore, will you be allowed to come back in to work?
Of course you will. At RECRUITERS, we believe everyone should feel inspired in work, secure when they’re there and that they leave fulfilled every day. We work with companies that turn this belief into a reality for people regardless of whether they are working from home or in the office."
