In her recent Forbes article, writer Caroline Castrillon offers an 11-step process for building a win-win work-from-home arrangement to which you and your boss can agree. Her process is smart, clear, and effective. I’ve paraphrased and consolidated her steps here:
You may believe you know what your company’s actual WFH policy is. But over time, policies get tweaked. Do your homework and gather the documentation on the organization’s pre-pandemic remote work policies, their 2020 policies, and most importantly the rules as they are written today. Once you know what’s in writing, gather every shred of information you can realistically find about your employer’s real-life WFH practices. How many of your colleagues have secured ongoing WFH arrangements for themselves? What are the specifics of those arrangements? Are they all the same or do they differ broadly? Do they deviate from your employer's written policy? If so, by how much?
A resistant employer will understandably talk about how WFH causes productivity and team engagement to suffer. Be prepared to cite your own data, like the Stanford. Then, state exactly why your WFH arrangement will allow you to continue performing at your best. This argument must include what you are willing to offer and deliver, including some level of structure around online availability, agreements on how you will fully participate in team meetings, communication methods and frequency, at the very least. The point here is to make it clear that you know how to make your WFH set-up work best both you and your boss.
You’re going to get pushback. Be ready for it by drawing on the facts you’ve gathered while doing your homework.
Sounds counter-intuitive, but I agree with Castrillon. By showing up in person, you’ll demonstrate your willingness to begin this conversation by accommodating your boss’s comfort zone. You’ll also be able to cite real-time examples of what is lost when you commute to the office (unpredictable traffic, parking, weather, etc.)
This may be difficult if you and your manager have already locked horns on the remote question. But fall back on what you know about successful negotiating behaviors: walk in with a smile and a warm greeting, remain calm and unagitated, listen intently to their concerns and acknowledge those concerns, use open body language, and finally: assume this is going to work out for you. The more you believe that, the more optimistic and pleasant your conversation will be.
Demonstrate how you have maintained high-quality work. Include as much data that supports this argument as you can. Also, point to how you maintain strong team relationships. If the relationships could be better, describe exactly how you will add certain practices to your routines to build and strengthen those relationships.
Anything less than a yes will feel disappointing but this isn’t the time to express that. “Be patient and flexible with your manager throughout the negotiation process,” advises Castrillon. Paraphrase your understanding of their response. If it’s a counter-offer, let them know you appreciate it and you’ll take the night to strongly think it through. If it’s a hard no, simply thank them for being so frank – but don’t end the conversation until trying the next step: a trial period.
One of Castrillon’s most powerful suggestions is so simple, yet so under-used. After respectfully acknowledging your manager’s concerns, ask for the opportunity to test your proposal with a three-month trial period. That will give you a quarter of data to review together. It will also give you three months to get your ducks in a row if your manager won’t budge at the end of the trial.
No matter what is decided by the end of the meeting, get that agreement documented. The easiest, least confrontational way of doing this is, of course, is a follow-up email to your boss. Summarize your understanding of the agreement and asking them to clarify anything you may have missed. End with a thank you and a renewed statement of your enthusiasm for your work.