Ready to work from home? Your boss might be amenable.
How can a dedicated office worker, the kind of employee who commutes into work every weekday morning, make the switch to telecommuting?
There's no secret formula. It mostly involves earning the trust from your employer that you'll continue to work hard, get your projects done and represent your company well even if you're not showing up in the office every morning.
Here's how I made the switch: I'd been working at my publishing company for a little more than two years. During that time, I met my deadlines, turned in quality work, helped out where needed and tried to be as pleasant as possible around the office. (You'd be surprised at how important that last part, the "pleasant" part, is.)
My wife and I were expecting our first child when we began looking for a house. Housing prices in Chicago were sky-high, so we decided to look in Northwest Indiana. This would allow us to buy a nice house in a nice neighbohrood without going broke to do it. It'd also require, unfortunately, a long commmute to my office in Chicago's River North neighborhood.
So I broached the idea of telecommuting with my immediate supervisor, who was open to the idea. He told me I had earned the right. Originally, I agreed to come into the office two days a week. Quickly, that became one day a week. Today? I come in when I feel that I need to.
The arrangement has worked out well. With the Internet, I can do my job just as efficiently -- if not moreso -- than I can at the office. I'm also free to work my own hours. I like to get things done early in the morning. I couldn't necessarily do this at the office.
The key, though, was that I had to earn the trust from my employers first. As telecommuting becomes more popular, this may be changing. Perhaps in the near future more employers will be willing to hire full-time employees who work from their homes. For now, though, most employers will need to get to know you, and learn to trust you, before allowing a telecommuting situation.
Perhaps you've already earned that trust and you're itching to work from home, maybe even on a limited once-a-week basis? Give it a try and ask your boss. Sure, these aren't the best times to ask for anything from your employers. But you'll never know until you ask.
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