How To Telecommute

There is a lot of information out there regarding people who work from home. Unfortunately, most of this information is directed at people who run their own home business. There is a whole different set of people who work from home known as telecommuters.

What Is A Telecommuter?

A telecommuter is a person who is formally an employee of a company, but who does all or part of their job from their own homes. Telecommuters may work for large corporations that have a base in a large city but are able to contract people in smaller centers, or simply companies that prefer to use up less office space and so offer some of their employment to people who want to work out of their homes.

Who Can Telecommute?

It should come as no surprise that companies are most willing to give telecommuting opportunities to employees that have a demonstrated ability to be self-motivating, reliable, deadline-oriented, and who do not need the presence of management looking over their shoulders. Any business that operates using written communications and proposals has potential to offer telecommuting opportunities to their employees, but the employee who telecommutes will likely have to have at the very least a good computer and a reliable Internet connection. Some businesses will help to set up a good home office for the employee, while some telecommuters will have to pay their own costs when it comes to starting up a good office.

How To Ask Your Boss For Permission To Telecommute.

The most difficult part of telecommuting is asking for the opportunity in the first place. Right off the bat, you should be aware that if you have a bad reputation as far as personal responsibility goes, you are probably not going to be allowed to telecommute until you prove you can handle it, so don’t ask. Your work background will probably be a key factor in your boss’ decision.

Some people who are proposing telecommuting to their bosses will be the first ones in their office to do so. In this case, you will have to be doubly sure of your planned proposal before you go in. Make sure that you present your proposal as clearly and professionally as possible. Do not give your manager any reason to doubt that your performance will falter if you work from home; in fact, you may want to do some research and provide your boss with some great numbers that show telecommuters actually increase their productivity.

Anticipate any questions before they are asked. Demonstrate to your boss that you are technologically equipped to handle the job from your home, and that all aspect of your job can be handled as easily with a home connection as they can out of the office. Try not to mention any children in the house, but if it comes up make sure your boss knows that they are planned for. Be prepared for any counter arguments that your boss might offer by focusing on the positive and identifying all of the areas in which both sides will accomplish more through the situation.

If you do get turned down on your first attempt, do not start acting like a child. Pointing out all of the other companies that let their employees telecommute will not help you win the day. Instead, accept the decision and hope that management reconsiders the proposal at a later date. Handling rejection well will play a big part in that regard.