Don’t Want To Return To Work… Ever? Here’s how you can Approach Your Boss About Working From Home
You probably know a few individuals (likely hard-core extroverts) who are counting down the days until they can return to the workplace and the ‘good old days’ when coworkers would congregate around coffee machines and have a ‘banter.’ In fact, studies indicate that meeting coworkers in person is a more powerful motivator for returning to the physical office than getting face time with the boss.
So, if you’ve enjoyed the transition to a virtual work environment over the past year, you may be asking how you can maintain it that way, especially when your colleagues begin to return to real offices. If so, begin by imagining yourself in the shoes of your boss (or employers).
What would your worries be if you were in charge of a team or a business, with all the pressure to produce outcomes it entails? Obviously, context is important. For example, if your employer has already expressed support for remote working (such as Dropbox or Salesforce), or if you’re in a solo-contributor role that can easily be done remotely, you’re in a very different situation than if you’re part of a team and your company is actively encouraging people to return.
Arm yourself with facts and relevant examples of how you can perform your job just as well, if not better, from home than back in the office. How do you intend to use the time you don’t spend commuting to contribute value that you couldn’t otherwise? You’ll most likely provide instances from the previous year of how well you functioned throughout the epidemic. If your coworkers are returning and you don’t want to, you’ll have to make a convincing case for how you’ll compensate for the ‘water cooler’ and spontaneous discussions you won’t be a part of.
Keep in mind that your employer may be worried that you are not a part of the team culture, which is formed in part by informal discussions and casual contacts on a daily basis. Prepare ahead of time with ideas and innovative ways to address the fear that not being back in the physical workplace with other team members would damage your capacity to cooperate and contribute.
It is also critical to have an open mind. While working entirely from home may be your preferred result, be willing to compromise and propose a trial period to ‘experiment’ and find out what works best. For example, you may be able to negotiate to return just one day per week for the first few months and be ready to come in a few additional days each month if there are meetings in which you must participate.
Of course, if you feel you are completely essential to your business, you have greater bargaining power.
Engage in every discussion with your employer or decision-maker with the goal of achieving the best possible result for all parties. Sure, you may believe that being completely remote allows you to offer the greatest value, but it’s conceivable that your company places a greater emphasis on culture development and the synergies that result from direct human interaction. So approach your discussions with ‘benevolent purpose,’ being flexible, and acting as the kind of employee you’d want to have if you were CEO.
There is no blueprint for navigating out of this epidemic, just as there was no plan for entering it. Whatever the result of your discussion, have an optimistic attitude about making it work and iterating as you go.
A willingness to accept change will always benefit you.
