After more than a year of pandemic-induced working from home, many professionals have realized that they clearly prefer to continue some version of working from home (hybrid or full) longer term. While they may be looking forward to eliminating commutes, enjoying more solitude and enhancing work-life balance, they’re probably not looking forward to having that conversation with their boss. Depending on the pre-pandemic culture of the organization and the nature of one’s work, this could certainly be a big ask, but there is a right way to approach it.
While you obviously wouldn’t request to continue remote working if it didn’t benefit you, Rizer suggests that it’s a mistake to focus there. “Frame your request not by how working remotely will benefit you, but how it can benefit your company,” explains Rizer. “It’s not enough that you enjoy the flexibility of working from home. Explain how, without a commute, you can get more done, or why the lack of interruptions and disruptions in the office means you can perform at an even higher level.”