Many Americans suddenly found themselves typing away in front of the computer as they work from home. This is one of the ideal set-ups a lot of employers have used in light of the pandemic. The pandemic affected several industries forcing businesses to adapt to survive. Giving employees the chance to work from the comfort of their homes has been one of them.
This has not always been an easy decision for businesses but most were warming up to the idea of telecommuting. According to data from Gallup, 39% of people were working from home in 2012 but it went up t0 43% in 2016. Businesses have been slowly opening their operations to employees who can perform their job at home.
When the virus hit the country, many companies had to fast track a work from home option for their employees. This allowed them to sustain a part of their operations in the midst of the health crisis. The set-up also gave a lot of people the chance to continue earning despite the health crisis sweeping through the nation and the world.
How to ask your boss to let you work from home
Now that you have experienced how easier it is to work from the comforts of your house, you might need to convince your boss about it. This is especially true when they are already asking people to start reporting back to the office. Remember that the virus is still out there and a lot of people are trying to look for ways to stay home.
Employer stance
The first thing you need to look into is understanding what your boss thinks of the set-up. Remember that not all of them are open to the idea of working from home according to an article in Forbes. If they are not up to it, what you need to do is identify where the resistance is coming from. They might be under the assumption that you will just slack around the house not doing any actual work.
If this is the case, you need to find a way to provide them assurances. It can be looking for a time tracker to help you manage your work while at home. It can also be putting together a work diary to help your boss keep track of your activity. This could help put their doubts at ease and even guide you with your work schedule.
Frame your argument well
If you want to work from home, you need to make your boss understand why it will be beneficial for them and the company. Yes, it is has a lot of benefits for you but keep in mind also how it will benefit your boss and the company. You need to show them that allowing you to stay t home and work will also benefit the company.
Think of it this way, it benefits you because you do not have to allot time for travel. How does this benefit the company? You might frame it to your boss as increasing the chances of working or logging in on time. Working from home can lower down your food budget but it can also help the company lower down utility expenses. Think of the benefit the company gets from the set-up to make the decision easier for them.
Trial basis
If they re still undecided with you working from home, one thing you can bring up is a trial basis. You can ask that they try it out for a few months to see how it works out. Once you get them on board, you need to make sure that they see the value in it for them. This means that you have to find a way to increase productivity even while at home.
How to improve your work from home output
Now that you are able to convince your boss to let you accomplish your job from home, it might help to look into some tips to make you more productive at home.
Identify your power hour
There are certain times in a day where you are most productive. The first step is to identify what time of the day this is for you. This could be different from one person to the other so do not base your productive hour on other people. Yours could be in the morning right after breakfast or even in the afternoon.
Take note that it does not mean that you will not work outside your power hour. It only means that you can schedule some of the difficult tasks over to that timeframe. As you get the hang of working from home, you will soon realize that you can will your mind to accomplishing your tasks at any given time in the day.
Make improvements in your work area
When you start to work from home, you will need to have a place to work. You might begin with the dinner table at first. But you will need a place of your own to work. You do not have to spend a fortune on it though. A simple table and a comfortable chair are usually the first equipment you need apart from your computer.
As you go along, you can make improvements as you go along. It can be adding a nice lamp on your table or even a family picture on your desk. You might even position your table near a window so you can make use of sunlight to perk you up in the morning. A great coffee mug can also help you improve your overall work. The idea is to make small improvements as you go along to help you have a great work from home experience.
Stand up
When you work at home, you might think that you need to stay on your chair the whole day. Not only will this negatively affect your health, but it can also affect your work. Even when you were still reporting in the office, there are times where you stand up and stretch and walk around. Your body needs this, especially when working at home.
You need to take breaks to help your mind and body restart. Standing up and walking around or even getting in a fast workout can help you focus on work as well. It gets your heart pumping and clears your mind. If you also hit a roadblock, it helps to stand up and stretch. The change in surroundings can help you think of solutions to your problem.
Learn a new skill
Working at home gives you more flexibility with your time and you can use that to learn a new skill. One option is to improve on your current skillset. This helps you improve your output and can increase your value to the company. Another one is to try and find ways to help you improve on your hobby. More than being an outlet, it can also help you bring in extra money every month.
There are a lot of income-positive hobbies you can look into at this point. You can do some of them after your work hours It can be baking and selling the same online, offering graphic design, or even social media management. When you spend time on your hobby, you earn extra money while doing something you love.
It is ideal to work from home during this time when the virus is still sweeping through the nation and the rest of the world. It can help you continue working and help the company you work for prevent huge losses as well.
