Is Working From Home the Right Career Step?
by Kerry Hannon, Updated July 30, 2019
Working remotely full-time may cause you to miss out on workplace relationships, brainstorming, or maybe even a promotion.
Editor’s Note: A telework statistic from the National Study of Employers in an earlier version of this article has been updated to a more recent number.
En español | When you work from home, you can avoid the hassle of wearing business attire and commuting. But you also have the added challenge of finding ways to connect with your coworkers from a distance and understanding what your supervisor wants without constant face-to-face interactions.
A growing number of employers and employees are deciding that the benefits outweigh the costs. The 2017 National Study of Employers by the Families and Work Institute and the Society of Human Resource Management found that the number of employers that offer telework options — allowing employees to work from home on a regular basis — increased from 33 percent in 2012 to 40 percent in 2016.
But there's no one-size-fits-all approach to teleworking. Successful teleworking depends on such factors as your personality, your work habits, your career goals, the type of job you do and the corporate culture of your employer.
If you're thinking of asking your employer to change your working arrangement, ask yourself these questions:
1. Is my job right for working from home?
The best telecommuting jobs are often ones that require a quiet space to research, read and process information without distraction. Teleworking, for example, is a natural fit if your job is web-based. There are also remote jobs in accounting, sales, public relations, medical transcription and customer service.
See also: Great jobs for workers 50+
Many of these jobs, of course, are performed by freelance and contract workers who work from a home office. By their very nature, these positions generally don't require the face time associated with hobnobbing around the office, supervising employees or sitting in meetings.
If you have to be on-site to perform your job, chances are slim you'll be able to transition to teleworking full time. The best you might be able to negotiate with your boss is an occasional work-from-home day.
2. Am I hardwired for telework?
To work from home on a regular basis, you'll need to be organized, disciplined, have first-rate time management skills and be a self-starter. You may find that you're working harder because it may be hard to ignore your bosses' or coworkers' phone calls and emails even when you should technically be off work — say late at night or on weekends. It can be really hard to push back from the computer and call it a day. You'll need to be able to set firm boundaries between work and home.
3. Can I technically make it work?
Your communication skills will need to be top-drawer. That means you'll need to be comfortable communicating via phone, email and videoconferencing. If you need to give presentations or do any training, you should get familiar with web-based meeting programs such as GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx, Join.me, TeamViewer or Google+ Hangouts. Some are free, some aren't. See what platform your company or IT department prefers.
But it goes a little deeper than that. While you don't need to be an IT whiz, Luddites need not apply. Teleworkers need to navigate the inevitable technology problems and troubleshoot. For the fritzes you can't solve, you will need to have a good relationship with someone in your employer's IT department who can lend a hand quickly. A boss isn't going to put up with recurring "technical difficulties." For freelancers, line up a tech buddy on speed dial.
4. Is teleworking really as good as being there?
Working remotely full time may cause you to miss out on rich workplace relationships, extemporaneous thinking, brainstorming and the collaboration you get from simply being present at meetings or chatting in the lunchroom. As much as you might be in touch via phone, email or videoconferencing, will you be able to pick up on some of those nonverbal communication cues and know exactly what your boss and coworkers expect of you?
You also need to keep in mind that some of your coworkers might resent your new working arrangement, particularly if their jobs aren't suitable for telework.
If you are transitioning into a full-time telework schedule, try to attend important on-site meetings when possible. This is key to not slipping into the out-of-sight, out-of-mind syndrome and staying on good terms with your coworkers. You might agree to be on-site when projects are being launched or for other company initiatives. But even if there is a nonbusiness event — like a coworker's retirement or promotion — show your support and your connection to your coworkers by attending.
5. How important is career advancement?
"There is a perception that if you are not in the office, you are more likely to miss important meetings, get passed over for promotion or get targeted for layoff in the event of a downsizing," says John A. Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That's one reason to try to stay in close touch with your coworkers even when you're working remotely.
And remember: Whatever agreement you come to may not survive a new boss or job role. You may need to renegotiate a telework arrangement — full or part time — if things change at the office.
6. Now, how can I convince my boss?
Better efficiency should be at the top of your "why you should let me telecommute" list. Draft a proposal that describes what your work schedule would be, the number of hours you would work, how unplanned overtime would be handled, how often you would check in with an office visit. You might agree that when projects are being launched, or problems the company is trying to solve arise, you will work in the office.
To seal the deal, ask for a trial period of three to six months so both you and your boss can see how the arrangement works out and can fine-tune it if needed.
In the end, the best way to convince your boss is to show, not tell. A solid work ethic that delivers reliable results will be your ticket to telework gold stars and, ultimately, your job happiness.
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