Arranging To Work From Home

[eleep]

I'd like to petition my employer to be able to work from home 1 day a week so that I can work with a pot of soup on the stove or a casserole in the oven. I'll also have a bit more free time to shop those days because I'll cut down on commute time and be closer to stores which carry gluten-free food and fresh produce. I'm an editor working for a large university, so most of my work can be done from home -- and I'm fully confident that I'll actually be more productive with this arrangement.

Has anyone else tried to set up an arrangement like this? I'm the most productive among my colleagues, so am in a good position to make this request. I'm also going to get letters from my g.p. and my acupuncturist to help support my claims. Anything else I might include?

[Jestgar]

I brought this up with my boss a couple years ago and he did NOT like the idea. I figured it was just out of his box a little, so little by little I've been working towards it.

I have my computer set up so I can VPN in.

On bad weather days I work from home.

On "crunch" things I work on the weekend and take a weekday off.

and so on.

Try feeling out the situation. If it seems like your plan will be well received, go for it. If they seem reluctant, work your way into it.

[tarnalberry]

In my job, it varies a lot from manager to manager, even though the work is the same.

Honestly, you don't need to cook during the workday, you can do it when you get home, so I might not say "because I need to cook while I'm working"; it's not going to be seen as a valid medical reason.

I've contemplated doing that for the noise sensitivity I get (but I got ear plugs), the light sensitivity I get (but mostly I deal with it), and the extreme fatigue, but it can be a hard thing to justify if they don't want to just say yes. So certainly ask (as you'll never get a "yes" if you don't ask), but I wouldn't expect a particular answer.

As it stands, I just work from home in adverse weather, if I'm sick and can't take the day off because there's work I have to be around (virtually) to do, or if there's some other home emergency that keeps me from coming in.

[Darn210]

If you think you'll be more productive . . . you should sell it that way. Do a lot of people stop by your desk and interupt? Perhaps ask if you can do this as a trial for 3 months or so to determine if it works for both of you.

Might I recommend a crockpot . . . I've made some great soups in a crockpot and I wasn't even there

[home-based-mom]

Unless it's a total health issue and you would have to quit your job if you can't work from home, don't even mention how the arrangement might benefit you because your boss could NOT care less what's in it for you. Nothing personal against your boss - that's just how it is.

If you want any chance of your boss accepting the idea, you have to point out all the ways this could benefit HIM. (Or her . . )

Cost savings. Better productivity. Fewer sick days. Whatever.

Hope it works!

[happygirl]

Find out what your university's HR policy is on telework. Many companies have strong language that strongly encourage telework, as long as certain requirements are met.

[nasalady]

  eleep said:

I'd like to petition my employer to be able to work from home 1 day a week so that I can work with a pot of soup on the stove or a casserole in the oven. I'll also have a bit more free time to shop those days because I'll cut down on commute time and be closer to stores which carry gluten-free food and fresh produce. I'm an editor working for a large university, so most of my work can be done from home -- and I'm fully confident that I'll actually be more productive with this arrangement.

Has anyone else tried to set up an arrangement like this? I'm the most productive among my colleagues, so am in a good position to make this request. I'm also going to get letters from my g.p. and my acupuncturist to help support my claims. Anything else I might include?

I do work from home one or two days per week, but I've been in a wheelchair for the past 6 months because of my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. I'm lucky in that many of the things I do can be done remotely. My supervisors generally have accepted this; I don't have a formal agreement which allows me to do this.

I think that one factor which has helped a lot is that both of my supervisors have seen emails from me at 6am or at midnight, and on weekends, which proves that I'm working on things at odd hours even when I've been out of the office a lot because of illness or my many doctor's appts.

Good luck!

JoAnn

[GFinDC]

Some employers encourage work at home or alternative work arrangements. The reasons may include some of the following:

Reduced exhaust emmisions/pollution from commuting.

Lower support costs from not having to heat and light the space, or rent the floor space.

Lower telephone costs

Lower network traffic load

If you can show that your work at home does any or all of these things or others then it might encourage your employer to try it. Telework is a goal in the Federal Govenrment and they sometimes set up telecommunting work areas to let people work closer to home with shorter commutes in dense urban areas. If you can look up some of the fed rules / benefits on telework it may help with your case.

Do keep in mind that there are costs for you as well. The telephone, network, and electrical/heat/cooling costs are borne by you at your home vs the employers office. Of course you can save time and money on gas commuting also.

My company (a large corp) has an AWA program that has a 6 month agreement period. Every 6 months the employee resubmits an application for their AWA fo rthe next 6 months.