If you work full-time outside the home and you really want to work at home, the start of your journey may be a little closer than you think. Many people have been able to work at home because they were able to convert the full-time position they already had into a full-time telecommute positon.
Companies all over are looking for ways to cut costs. It's possible that not having you in the office full-time could actually be a benefit to them, because they wouldn't need to provide you with a workspace, including a desk and computer. If you can convince your boss that this is the right move, you might be on your way.
First you have to decide if working at home is possible with the job you have. If you're required to be in the office for specific meetings or group work throughout the day or you're in a receptionist or assistant role, then it's probably not going to work. But if you work almost solely on the computer, then it's possible that you could do this kind of work remotely.
How to Convince Your Boss - You'll need to really think this through and do your research before you approach your boss about this. It may be a big change for them, but telecommuting is certainly not a new concept.
- Schedule a meeting with your boss to talk about your work arrangement.
- Consider what your working arrangement will be, including where you will actually work and what hours.
- Think about how you will get the work done that will be expected of you.
- Plan for childcare. You probably won't be able to work while your children run around you, so if they're not school-aged, then you'll need to have some kind of childcare during your working hours. Make sure your boss knows that you're not trying to get him to let you be a stay-at-home mom while you get your work done here and there.
- Put all the information together in a proposal for your boss to review while they consider your idea.
- If your boss seems open but reluctant, ask for a trial period to see how things go.
- While you don't need to discuss it right away, keep salary in mind. Your boss may want to reduce your salary because it's likely that you won't be working truly full-time. But you'll be saving lots of money in terms of commute and gas, wardrobe, potentially childcare and more, so this shouldn't be entirely off the table.
Remember, your boss might say no. In fact, a coworker of mine and I proposed something like this to our boss when I was working full-time. He wasn't open to it and it just didn't work out. Some bosses just feel that work is meant to be done in the office. It will help if you have a proven track record of getting things done independently and efficiently without someone looking over your shoulder.
Here are some good resources for research:
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