(Posted 472 days ago)

Do's and Don'ts:

Do provide at least one specific benefit the company will receive from your telecommuting.

Be careful setting expectations about how productive you will be or how much work you will accomplish. Top performers are usually the first to receive such benefits as telecommuting, and top performers usually have too much on their plate already.

Do select a regular day to telecommute and have few exceptions. That way everyone in the office knows where you will be on, for example, Tuesdays. It also saves you sending emails to let the team know where you are (at home and perhaps in your pjs).

Do be prepared for some skepticism from your manager.

Say This:

Mark, one additional item I want to discuss with you during our 1:1 today is telecommuting.

Last week you mentioned to me that you want to know how you can support me. I appreciated hearing that.

Well, I'd like to tell you the reasons why I feel telecommuting one day a week will help the business.

As you know, Tuesday is the day I use to place client calls. Those calls are usually 1 hour long each, and I make about 6 calls that day. I want to give my best to our biggest clients, and to do so, I need total concentration. Making these calls from home will allow me to work in a very quiet environment. Here in the office, it's natural that people interrupt me, even when my office door is closed. OR: Here in the office, the noise near my curb can be disruptive.

The end of the quarter is rapidly approaching, and I want to increase the commitments of our biggest clients, A and B. And I know I can do that by giving our biggest clients my total dedication.

So, what are your thoughts? When do you feel we can put this plan in place?