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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Telecommuting Proposal Strategies

 
    • Plan to hit your boss with a double-whammy: A written proposal and an oral presentation. Experts agree that both a comprehensive, balanced written proposal and a presentation are the best approach. The presentation prepares your boss to absorb the points in the written proposal and gives him or her the opportunity to raise questions or objections (to which you'll be fully prepared to respond). The written proposal enables the boss to more carefully consider your ideas when he or she has more time and serves an a crucial tool if your boss agrees with your idea but must obtain approval from higher up in the food chain. You may want to rehearse the presentation and even role-play with a friend or co-worker so you can practice responding to the questions and objections you anticipate from your boss.
    • Ask not what telecommuting can do for you; explain what telecommuting can do for your employer. Follow the same principle you would for any aspect of job-hunting from resumes and cover letters to interviews and salary negotiation -- focus on the benefits of telecommuting to the employer, not the benefits to you. Never frame your proposal in terms of how telecommuting will meet your needs. Don't mention your need for better work-life balance, more time to spend with your kids, care-taking responsibilities for elderly parents, or any other personal need. State only that telecommuting will make you more productive and efficient, be a better use of the time you previously spent on the road, make your boss's life easier -- whatever benefits you come up with that focus on the employer's needs -- not yours.
    • Tout your value to the company and the traits that will make you an effective teleworker. Note your accomplishments and contributions. Describe yourself as someone who has the characteristics of a successful telecommuter, and wherever possible, cite supporting evidence of these characteristics, such as in performance evaluations.
    • Propose a trial period. The most successful telecommuting proposals are those that offer an easy out for your boss. It's hard to refuse an offer to simply try it. If telecommuting doesn't work for you or your boss, the experiment will be over after a trial period. Of course, if telecommuting is truly important to you, you'll do your darndest to make it work. Both you and your boss may want to propose an "out" clause that would enable either of you to end or adjust the telecommuting experiment before the end of the trial period if it simply isn't working out. Summer or whatever season is your organization's slow period may be a good time for a trial. On the other hand, the best time may be when the company is fully staffed and few workers are taking vacations.
    • Build in accountability measures. Your boss's biggest fear is likely that you will be unproductive if he or she is not there to watch over you. Suggest ways for your boss to keep tabs on you and be fully informed of your progress. Offer to fax or e-mail your boss a report of your activities for each day or week of at-home work. Suggest frequent evaluation meetings at various stages of the trial period. Establish a list of measurable goals against which to determine the success of the trial. The Web site MommyCo.com suggests a product such as Norton PCAnywhere that enables you to take over the use of an office computer via modem so that anyone back in the office can monitor your activities at all times.
    • By outlining your job description, assure your boss that you'll meet your responsibilities. Chances are, telecommuting will not change your basic job responsibilities. But it's a good idea to delineate your job description to assure your boss that you know what needs to be done and that telecommuting won't significantly change that. You may want to construct a table that shows which of your job activities will be accomplished off-site, which will be performed in the traditional workplace, and which can be done at either location. Describe how you will handle key relationships with other team members.
    • Propose a schedule. It's best to propose that you telework for only one or two days a week to start with. Pat Katepoo, who bills herself as The Flex Success Coach, suggests that Mondays should not be one of the days you propose for teleworking. But whatever you propose, be clear in your documentation to the boss what schedule you plan. You'll probably want to pledge to be in the office for all staff/team meetings. You may want to provide a projected schedule of what each day's work from home will be like.
    • Be sure your boss knows you're reachable and flexible. Provide your boss with your phone, fax, pager, cell-phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Instant-messaging is a great tool for real-time communication with the office. Establish a frequency for checking in -- once a day or more, depending on your job functions and employer's needs. Pledge to return phone calls within a given period of time. Tell how you'll handle deadlines. Assure your boss you can come into the office on relatively short notice if you are urgently needed. The Metropolitan Atlanta Telecommuting Advisory Council advises that you pledge to always carry a folder of remote-work projects for anytime you have to telework unexpectedly (such as in case of a weather or sick-child emergency).
    • Describe your workspace. Paint a picture for your boss of a safe, professional, and well-equipped workspace that is free of distractions. Draw a diagram, or better yet, provide a photo of your workspace. Invite your boss to visit your home office, and even propose a schedule of site visits.
    • Address personal issues. Although you should never frame your proposal in terms of your personal needs, you must address how you plan to deal with those needs, especially if your boss is aware of your personal situation. First, don't delude yourself into thinking you can care for very young children while also working for your employer in your home. Even if your ulterior motive for telecommuting is more time with your kids, you will need some kind of childcare arrangement while you're working at home. Whether you've planned in-home childcare or a daycare facility, your boss needs to know that your children's needs won't distract you from work. Elderly parents may also need some sort of daycare arrangement.
    • Talk about equipment. Your proposal should address what equipment you need to telecommute effectively, which equipment the employer will provide, what equipment you will provide, what costs the employer will incur, and how data-security, insurance, and liability issues will be handled should your computer be hacked or equipment be stolen or damaged. Typical telecommuting equipment includes a fax machine, additional phone line with voicemail, storage media such as Zip disks/drives or CD-ROMs to back up and transport computer files, and a computer with Internet access, preferably broadband rather than dialup.
    • Deploy statistics and case studies that support the business benefits of telecommuting. Numerous studies support the notion that telecommuting workers are more productive and have higher morale and less absenteeism. Organizations that allow telecommuting have less employee turnover. Provide examples of other companies in your area, especially competitors, that allow teleworking. List co-workers willing to support the venture. You may want to include supporting articles as an appendix to your proposal. Some good sources for supporting statistics include:
    • You may even want to provide a cost-benefits analysis. These sites tell how to put together such an analysis:
    • If you need help getting started, use a sample telecommuting proposal or proposal template. Several sites offer fill-in-the blanks proposal templates: Other sites offer sample proposals:
    • Be prepared for every question and objection. If the boss feels your work habits and performance don't qualify you for telecommuting, ask what you can do to prove you're up to the task. The proposed telecommuting trial period might persuade the boss to take a chance on you. Other common objections include:
      • If you do it, everyone will want to.
      • We don't telework here.
      • You can't telecommute; you're a manager.
      • You can't telecommute; you interact extensively with customers.
      Resources that can help with responding to these common supervisor questions and objections -- and more -- include:
    • If you're turned down, don't give up, but try a different approach. For example, volunteer to finish up a project at home over a weekend to show how efficiently you work from that venue. Or negotiate fewer days a week of telecommuting or a shorter trial period. If rejection of your telecommuting proposal is a matter of company policy, find out how much sentiment there is among your co-workers for getting the policy changed. If you hit a brick wall, consider seeking a job at a company that may be more receptive to a telecommuting proposal.
    • If your telecommuting trial succeeds, consider spreading the wealth. Write up a case study of your successful telecommuting experience and then propose a program for your company or department. Check out this "how-to" guide from the Metropolitan Atlanta Telecommuting Advisory Council.
    • Check out additional resources for convincing the boss and on telecommuting in general:


    Continue reading on Examiner.com Flex your time, find a telework friendly employer - Orlando Telecommuting | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/telecommuting-in-orlando/flex-your-time-find-a-telework-friendly-employer#ixzz1OnpMksNW

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