I love working from home, how can I keep doing it?
Dear J.T. & Dale: My company has had us working from home for a month now, and I’m THRIVING. I had no idea how much better it would be if I didn’t have so many distractions. They are talking about us going back to the office in the next month or so. How do I persuade them to let me work remotely? — Ryan
J.T.: I guarantee you aren’t alone. I’ve heard many people say the same thing. That’s why I would start by trying to have some one-on-one conversations with your peers to see if they feel the same way. DALE: As background for this issue, I did what J.T. is suggesting and asked several people I know for their personal experience with working at home. My favorite response was from our editor at King Features, Amy Anderson, who said this: “I am big on flexibility, and I think it’s important to be productive when you are feeling productive. For me, that sometimes means 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. That’s my power hour. But I also need the social aspect of the office. I like meeting face to face and feeling connected in that way.” I suspect, Ryan, that you’ll encounter such conflicting emotions in your co-workers — and in management. So I think you’ll need to pitch this as “flexibility” and “personalized productivity,” hoping for an evolution toward being a remote employee.
J.T.: I would set a call with your boss to ask some questions around the plans to return and if the company is considering letting people work remotely. I would have a nice long list put together of all the things you’ve accomplished since you started working remotely, as well as why you feel this is happening. You’ll want to make the case for how you can save the company money and be more productive. Finally, if they are adamant and say working from home isn’t optional, start looking for a new employer. I can tell you that many companies are already starting to map out what their “new co” looks like and will be hiring remote workers as a way to save on the overhead costs of achieving social distancing in their work spaces. Now that you know you thrive working from home, it’s up to you to pivot your career in a direction that will let you leverage this newfound strength!
Dear J.T. & Dale: My co-worker’s home office, or desk I should say, is in her bedroom. I am amazed at how messy she is. I mean there is stuff everywhere. Last time we chatted, I could literally see her dirty underwear on the floor. I know other team members have been talking about it behind her back. Should
I mention it to her? — Carly
J.T.: Actually, now that millions of workers have gone remote, there are a lot of articles and videos offering advice on how to make a good impression on video conferencing. I would find a couple and then in a big team email send the links out and say: “I came across these and found some of the tips really interesting and helpful. I don’t think I realized how much the appearance of my space when I’m on a video conference call impacted my reputation as a worker.” This is the
polite way to introduce your messy colleague to information that hopefully will lead her to realize she needs to clean up her space. After that, it’s out of your hands. Her reputation isn’t your problem. If she can’t figure out the obvious, there’s nothing you can do about it!
DALE: Well said. Clearly, this is yet another item to add to my list of Shut Your Piehole! situations. However, I do like the idea of sending the whole team links about videoconferencing niceties. (I’d suggest including a YouTube video featuring advice from photographer Matthew Rolston. Find it by searching for “How to look good on a webcam” from DailyCandy Video.) Doing so makes you a good teammate, without being the team mom whose advice sours over time. Send it, then Shut Your Piehole!
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators’ Lab and author of a novel about H.R., “The Weary Optimist.” Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2020 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.