How to Negotiate Working From Home with Your Employer

Working from home has become increasingly popular in recent years With the technology available today, many jobs can be done remotely without any loss of productivity If your role is suited for remote work but your employer is hesitant, negotiating a work-from-home arrangement is possible with the right approach.

Here are some tips for effectively negotiating with your boss or HR to allow you to work remotely:

Make a Strong Business Case

The key is to frame working from home as a win for your employer, not just yourself. Demonstrate how the company will benefit, both through your continued productivity and lower overheads. Position it as a strategic move to attract and retain talent.

Some points to emphasize:

• You will remain equally or more productive. Cite past examples of successfully working independently. Offer to track and report on your productivity.

• Collaboration will not suffer Highlight tools and strategies for remaining in close communication

• You can represent the company well remotely by X, Y, Z Give concrete examples.

• Company saves money on office space and overhead with remote employees. Offer stats.

• Working remotely helps attract and retain top talent. Note how it’s a perk younger generations look for.

Start With a Trial Period

Proposing a trial period helps take the pressure off your manager. It allows them to test out remote work without fully committing. If you successfully complete a trial, it can then be extended permanently. Some options:

• Ask for 1-2 days remote per week as a trial. This gets them used to you being out of office.

• Request a 1-3 month remote trial. Gives enough time to prove yourself.

• Suggest a trial on a key project.finish the project remotely, then showcase your productivity.

Position the trial as a low-risk way for the company to experiment with remote work. Offer to check in regularly during the trial period to discuss productivity and address any concerns.

Be Flexible

Make it clear you’re open to compromise. Maybe you can’t be fully remote right away, but can start with a couple days a week and build from there. Or be in office for key meetings and collaboration days, but work remotely the rest of the time.

Demonstrate that you don’t expect full work-from-home privileges immediately. You want to partner to find the right arrangement, even if it takes some refining. This flexible attitude can help managers feel more comfortable accommodating your request.

Focus on Outcomes

Position yourself as focused on outcomes and results, not facetime. Say you aim to:

• Deliver X% more projects completed.

• Respond to emails within X minutes.

• Be available for meetings and calls within X timeframe.

• Hit X target for sales, customers served, etc.

Managers hesitate about remote work because they fear productivity and accountability will slip. Underscore that you are committed to maintaining excellent performance regardless of where the work is done.

Make a Plan for Communication

Explain exactly how you will remain communicative and collaborative when working remotely. For example:

• Have daily check-ins via digital chat app.

• Be available on Slack/Teams/Email throughout day

• Call in to weekly team meetings on Zoom.

• Provide daily progress reports.

• Use project collaboration software like Asana to coordinate.

Having a clear plan in place makes managers feel more in control of remote employees. They see that your collaboration won’t miss a beat.

Offer Solutions for Challenges

Your manager may bring up situations that could make remote work tricky, like collaborating with certain teams or attending events. Address these concerns proactively with potential solutions.

For example, if they worry about you collaborating closely with on-site designers, offer to come in 1-2 days a month for intensive in-person work sessions.

The more concerns you can preemptively solve, the fewer objections they’ll have.

Consider a Compromise like a Coworking Space

If your employer just doesn’t feel comfortable with full work-from-home, suggest compromising by working out of a coworking space near your home. Many companies contract with coworking spaces to give employees an option besides the central office. You get some location flexibility while your company still has you working in a professional office setting. It’s a good middle-ground option.

Use Metrics to Make Your Case

Back up your request with hard numbers:

• Note the % of time you’re currently productive at the office. Explain how you minimize distractions and avoid unnecessary meetings.

• Provide stats on the scope of your role and what you’ve accomplished over past time period.

• Calculate potential real estate cost savings if you and others work remotely.

• Note any increase in productivity metrics after you’ve worked from home previously.

Quantifiable proof is very persuasive. Help them understand through data how productive you already are independently.

Offer a Salary Compromise if Relocating

If you’re requesting to work remotely from a lower cost-of-living location, offer to take a small salary reduction. Some companies lower salaries for fully-remote staff that relocate to less expensive areas. Get ahead of this discussion by volunteering for a modest pay decrease of say 5-10%. This demonstrates good faith.

Highlight Past Remote Work Success

If you’ve worked remotely before, use that experience to reassure your manager. For example:

• Note that as a freelancer, you worked remotely and had happy clients.

• Share feedback from a manager about your productivity working remotely on a past project.

• Say you worked remotely for 6 months last year and exceeded goals by X%.

Proof that you’ve been successful working off-site before will help convince nervous managers.

Frame It as an Experiment

Position remote work as an experiment where you’ll closely track productivity. This makes it less scary for managers. Offer to:

• Send a daily recap of what you accomplish.

• Have more frequent check-ins to discuss progress.

• Measure output and report statistics back.

• Audit success after trial period and make any adjustments needed.

Casting it as a measurable experiment rather than a permanent change makes remote work less intimidating.

Make Sure You’re a Good Candidate

Honestly assess if you’re disciplined enough to work remotely without close supervision. Do you:

• Have a distraction-free, professional workspace?

• Stay focused and avoid household interruptions?

• Manage your time well independently?

• Complete projects efficiently without procrastination?

If you don’t have superb self-management skills, remote work will be a challenge. Shore up these weaknesses before negotiating work-from-home.

Time the Discussion Strategically

Think about timing when you broach the topic:

• Avoid asking just as things get hectic or during a major deadline.

• Don’t negotiate right after you or others have missed goals or had performance issues.

• Consider timing it when projects are going well or right after a major success.

• Schedule the discussion well in advance of when you want the arrangement to start.

Optimal timing will work in your favor. Pick a moment when your manager feels calm, optimistic and receptive.

Practice the Conversation

Carefully plan what you want say and how you’ll respond to concerns. Rehearse the key points.

Practicing will help you feel poised and prevent stumbling when the pressure is on. Roleplay the discussion with a friend first to boost your confidence.

Present a Strong Business Justification

Focus on how the arrangement benefits the business, not just you. For example:

• “I can take on more projects and customers because I won’t be commuting.”

• “You’ll see an uptick in my productivity.”

• “This will improve our service for West Coast clients with the time difference.”

Avoid overfocusing on your personal motivations. Lead with data and bottom line results.

Be Ready to Negotiate a Hybrid Schedule

Most managers will be more open to a partial work-from-home plan than full-time. Suggest working from home Mon/Wed/Fri and coming in Tues/Thurs. Or propose certain projects and tasks you’ll always do remotely. Structure your request so it still leaves room for in-office time.

Don’t Expect an Immediate “Yes”

Even if the initial discussion goes well, your manager will likely need to think it over. Suggest following up in a week after they’ve had time to consider. This takes the pressure off them feeling like they need to decide on the spot. Be prepared for a negotiation process, not just a one and done conversation.

Weigh the Pros and Cons

Carefully consider both the benefits and potential downsides before broaching the topic:

Pros

• No commute frees up time
• Flexible schedule
• Reduced distractions
• Increased focus
• Cost savings

Cons

• Could affect promotion prospects
• Less face time
• Harder to collaborate
• Need discipline to stay productive