Convincing your employer to let you work from home can feel incredibly daunting. You may be afraid to have that conversation at all, or you might be afraid of what your employer will say in response. However, the worst they will say is no. It is far from something that will cause insult if your reason for desiring the switch is positive, so there is nothing to fear. If you present your reasons well, you may even find that your employer agrees with you.
After a few weeks, your employer may find that the change should have happened long ago! It is even possible that your employer has been thinking the same thing for you to get you into a less distracting work atmosphere. Be courageous in approaching the issue, but if you are not, we can help. Here, we will go over a few solid templates to convince your employer to let you work from home. These are where the conversation starts remember, so be prepared for a longer talk when your employer gives you a call the next day.
Template 1
Here, we will show a more formal approach. If you believe your employer or supervisor would appreciate the respect of treating them formally, which is likely the case if you find yourself needing to write a letter or email to approach this subject, this should be a solid option for you.
Subject Line: Request to Work Remotely
Mr./Mrs. Employer [whatever the most formal title to address your employer would be]:
Your guidance of our team has been unbelievably successful. I appreciate all of your efforts, and I am excited to continue our combined efforts in the future. I have no complaints about our office conditions, however, I am requesting to work remotely due to personal needs.
My home life requires my attention more prominently at this time, and the commute has become more than an inconvenience. I believe I can contribute to the team more productively by working remotely, and I understand you may have some hesitancies regarding this. I promise I will be not only just as productive, but moreso if given this opportunity, and I would be happy to do a trial run if that would make you more comfortable with it.
I hope to discuss this plan more fully with you soon. Please feel free to reach out to me at your next convenience.
Thank you,
Best Employee
It is important to note that this letter begins with praising the employer. Praising the recipient is an old tactic going back as long as rhetoric itself goes back. It certainly does not need to be long, but a quick thank you and appreciation goes a long way when asking for something. It is probably something you practiced with your parents since you were a child.
In a formal letter like this, it does not call to be specific about your home issues if there are any that require you to stay home. Consider saving those for the personal conversation that will surely happen before long.
Template 2
Perhaps you feel that you and your employer have a closer relationship than would be described by the request letter above. If that is the case, it is certainly appropriate to pen something a bit less formal. Consider the template below.
Subject Line: Hoping to Work from Home
Dear Pat [first name acceptable],
We’ve talked before about the idea of me working from home, and I want to bring it up again. I think our office is great, and I appreciate what you do every day for us. I need this change now though because my home life has become a bit harder. The commute every day is really a burden for me as well, and while I love our office, there are a few too many distractions for me.
I hope you understand my perspective on this, and I would love to talk more about it soon. Give me a call when you have a chance.
Thank you,
Best
This letter may be less formal, but it still does not really require you to be specific about your home issues. The reason for that in this letter, however, is the necessity of brevity. If you are close with your employer, you probably can afford to be quick about the wording here. Most likely, they will probably just read the subject line and call you back anyways. That will be the time to talk about your needs more specifically should they want to know.
Template 3
If you need something a little in between those, we have one more solid option for you. Maybe what you are most worried about is actually convincing your employer to let you work from home and just do not know how to bring up the subject without them shutting you down. If you believe they will sit down and read your email, consider some actual resources that you can site from our other articles such as How to Convince Your Employer to Let you Work from Home. We have some more thorough tips there, but for now, try this template.
Subject Line: Request to Work Remotely
Dear Mr./Mrs. Employer,
I greatly appreciate the opportunity you have given me to work with this excellent company, and I am very excited to continue this journey. You do great work for us every day, and it does not go unnoticed. While I do love our office, I believe having me begin to work remotely may be in the best interest of both the company and myself.
My home life has many struggles currently that need attention, and I would be happy to explain them more fully in person. The commute drains me daily and takes too large of a chunk of the day for me to give my best work. While I love our office, I find myself distracted too often by these coworkers I love to be around.
I know you may have hesitancies, but there is plenty of documented research showing that employees who work from home are in fact more productive than their counterparts. According to SurePayRoll, two-thirds of employers report increased productivity from teleworkers. While I know that may mean little to you because what matters is if I would be more productive, I ask you to trust me enough to show you that I can be incredibly productive as a remote worker if given the chance.
I want to continue to offer my best for his company, and I hope you understand that I have only the best of intentions here. Please give me a call when you have a chance.
Thank you,
Best Employee
You will notice that this template is much longer, and it makes one small attempt to show proof. Overloading your employer with proof and research that working from home is a good option is never the right idea. They will grow tired and frustrated with it, and soon they will shut you down any time you approach the subject. The best plan is to be understanding and patient with your employer. If they give you the opportunity for a week trial run, take that and be grateful. If they say they need to think about it, leave it a week at least before bringing it up again. Your employer is likely stressed about the idea, worries you will slack off at home. Of course, if you are a good employee, they should have no fear of that. So the best way to prove it is to continue to prove that you are a dependable, responsible employee more than capable of doing the right thing when none is watching. Then the request will make itself.