Selling the Idea of Remote Work to your Boss
A nifty primer to persuade your boss that telecommuting can be beneficial for everyone
Coworking spaces in Africa are increasing by the month.
This increase is a direct response to a demand?—?a demand by freelancers, traveling employees and mobile professionals for decentralized workspaces. This demand is in turn riding on the increase in internet penetration as well as the budding tech scene on the continent.
When it comes to telecommuting, Africa is still in its early adopter phase. Meaning a lot of business managers and owners are yet to wake up to the reality that the 21st century rarely plays by the old rules of work.
For example, the current, general impression about remote work among the uninitiated is that of employees lounging and sleeping the day away while turning in shoddy work and missing deadlines. This is unfortunate because, in reality, the data shows that productivity increases when employees are allowed to work remotely.
It’s definitely a tricky subject, so here’s our little primer to help you present the idea to your boss.
1. Repeat after me: Benefits benefits benefits
Selling an idea involves highlighting the benefits of the idea to your audience. This is Marketing 101. Yes, the idea of remote working would make you happier with your job and help you with work-life balance, but that’s not going to win over your boss. Rather, what your boss wants to know is, how does this idea of remote working benefit me?
So do your research and highlight how remote work helps your boss achieve his goals -
- increased productivity due to your zero commute,
- improvement on your health and wellness,
- reduction of real estate and utility costs,
- access to a larger pool of talent,
- inadvertently establishes a system of communicating achievable and measurable goals in the company.
There’s a ton of research and articles on the internet, showcasing the benefits of telecommuting on a company’s bottomline, so seek and you will find.
2. Lazy men get no perks
It is important to note that a proposal such as this can only work if you’ve been a beacon of exemplary work ethic in the office. You can’t be dropping the ball and expect your boss to give you such a perk as remote working (because that’s what it is as far as your boss is concerned). If you’re a sloth at work, your proposal will fall flat, regardless of your rhetoric.
All hope is not lost though. If you know your performance and attitude at work won’t win you any favours with your boss, just file this idea in your “long term goals” folder. Go put in some solid, committed effort into your job and pick up this plan a few months afterwards.
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