Applying to Work From Home

Working from home offers huge work-life benefits, but not everybody is geared up or interested in working for themselves. So how do you take your current job and  adjust it so that you can work a day or two from home?

Since 2000, an increasing number of employees have been able to work from home on a part-time basis. In 2008, nearly a quarter of Australia’s workforce worked some hours at home in either their main or second job.

So if your work is either administrative or managerial,and requires you to spend hours in front of a computer, it is quite possible that you could do a day or two from home.

As long as you have a reliable Internet connection, your mobile phone is always on and where necessary, can gain remote access to your e-mails/files at work, you should be able to complete your responsibilities from home, at least on a part-time basis.

Arrange an Appointment with Your Boss

Regardless of your position, it is important that you approach your request for a change in work arrangements in a professional manner. Set up an appointment to discuss the possibility with either your boss or your HR manager. Don't just turn up and catch them off guard or you will most likely get a ‘no’ answer.

Approach your boss or HR manager and simply say that you would like to discuss the possibility of adapting your working arrangements to suit some changes in your lifestyle and you would like an opportunity to discuss this with them. Ask them when would be a good time to do so and book it in.

Be Upfront

If they do not know already, it's important to let them know of your change in relationship status. It is essential to minimise any concerns that they may have up front, so it is always necessary to address the elephant in the room. Tell them that you have recently become a single mother, however that this in no way will affect the quality of work that you perform in your job. Let them know that you are keen to stay and that you enjoy your position, however, as a single mother there are new demands on you from a work- life perspective and you would like the company’s flexibility if possible. That's when you suggest the possibility of working from home one or two days per week.

Make it Easy for Them - Think Things Through

Before you approach your boss or HR manager, think your job role through carefully. Think about all the duties required of you in your job and whether they can be done effectively from home. Maybe only some duties can be done from home; make a list of which ones those are. Maybe some duties require you to liaise with other people in order to complete them. Can any of those particular duties be done through phone contact instead of face-to-face? These are the questions you need to ask yourself to determine which part of your job can be done in exactly the same manner from home. If you show the company that you have thought this through, and in some areas you actually may be more efficient by working from home, they may be willing to give you a try. That's all you can ask for.



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