Drafting Your Telecommuting Proposal the Right Way

Telecommuting may seem like a dream come true; however, though some may find it more difficult that commuting. So many want desperately to work from home, that they neglect to plan, formulate and negotiate a successful work option that will benefit the employer as well as themselves. So here are some tips and advice on making sure that your telecommuting move is the right one.

Be Honest With Yourself

Before drafting your proposal to your current employer, be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, can the work you do on-site be done from home? You have to make sure that your tasks and duties can easily translate to a work home arrangement. Naturally, if you are working in a career field such as retail or fast food, a transition such as this would not be possible.

You must also be honest with yourself about your performance. You should not expect your employer to look favorably on a telecommuting proposal if you are not in good standing. Telecommuting options are considered a privilege and one that would be rewarded for hard work and great attendance. If you are not at this level currently, then there is no better time to start then now. Show that you take pride in your work and that you value the company by constituting great ideas, strategies and opinions about the products or services your employer offers.

Do You Have What it Takes

Once you are honest with yourself, you must then evaluate your skills and abilities and discover if you have what it takes to work from home. It involves more than being able to do your job. You must be be disciplined, responsible and a great communicator. You must also be willing to adhere to any type of restrictions by the employer such as work scheduling, breaks and lunches, and periodically going in the office for shifts or meetings.

Be Knowledgeable about your Company

Some people work for companies that do business and maintain offices across the country, but they never ponder about the type of flex options offered to employees. Find out from your HR if this type of option is available first before presenting your proposal. You must also know detailed information about your company such as expansions, growth, consumer feedback, ideas on improvement as you will use this data to build your case on how working from home can possibly save the company money, build clients and improve team morale.

Put Your Offer in Writing

Be specific on what your arrangements would be. Do you want to come in only twice a week or only for meetings? Would you be willing to work at home on a trial basis contingent on performance and evaluation? You can even start with a plan to only telecommute a few hours out of the week, or on one week, off the next, until the employer feels comfortable with the arrangement and can trust that all work procedures can be handled independently.

You also want to indicate how you will effectively communicate with your boss and your team while you are away from the office, this being instant message, live chat, online meetings, phone and so on.

In your proposal, make note of why you are qualified to telecommute and what you hope to obtain from successfully working from home. Be sure to note, how you can advance the company as well as yourself to the next level of whatever goals they are focused on. Highlight any added services the company may have been hinting on but never really quite sure how to go about it; such as maintaining and online presence or visiting local clients or even marketing. Use this opportunity include ideas on campaigns or events that can bring more business to the company or researching a way to improve on a service by surfing for new software that can make it easier for employees to do their job.

Your proposal must be well-thought, professional and wanted. Present the idea first by talking to your employer and requesting that they at the minimum review your document before making a decision. Research books and articles for samples. Workoptions is a great resource for helping those seeking telecommuting options from their current employer.