Did you know that 4.3 million people in the United States work from home part-time or full-time? Consider also that people allowed to work remotely are 24% more likely to be productive and content. And companies permitting remote work have an employee turnover rate that’s 25% less than businesses that don’t allow remote work.
While working from home isn’t a new phenomenon, the COVID-related work-from-home orders lit a fire under the trend. Many people were required to work from their homes as part of an effort to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Work-from-home requirements are now over, but many people got hooked on this work arrangement.
If you work in a brick-and-mortar office and want to telecommute instead, how do you go about doing so? A lot depends on what type of work you do and your employer’s policies. Keep reading for tips on how to accomplish your objectives.
Start Working From Home a Few Days a Week
You can start by asking your employer for permission to work from home once or twice a week — like a trial run. This will allow you to demonstrate that you can be just as productive at home as in the office.
When you’ve proven your case, you can seek permission to work from home more days a week. As long as you can show results, you might be able to convince your employer to okay your goal of working from home full-time, five days a week.
If you suffer a workplace injury that requires you to miss time from work and seek treatment, you can ease your way back to work by working remotely. A modified work schedule might make it easier for you — and it might be a good way to demonstrate that you can be just as efficient and productive at home as at work.
Change Employers
Do you work someplace that doesn’t allow telecommuting? You might have to think about finding a job at a business that is more accommodating of people who want to work remotely. There are lots of companies that permit remote working arrangements. So, if your current employer won’t budge, it might make sense to find another employer.
Change Careers
Some career paths don’t lend themselves to work-from-home arrangements. If you are in one of those industries, consider taking another career path. There are plenty of careers where working from home is a viable option. Depending on your education, experience, and skill set, you might not have to go back to school. It might be possible to transition to another career path that allows you to work remotely.
Try Freelancing on the Side
If you want to work from home, why not freelance on the side for a while? You might go to your day job but freelance in the evenings. After a while, you can determine whether or not you can freelance on a full-time basis. But doing some work on the side can help you get your feet wet as you decide whether or not working remotely is for you.
Start Your Own Business
How about starting your own business if you’re unhappy with your current employment situation? It’s not something you want to do on a whim. But if you’ve been thinking about tackling an entrepreneurial endeavor, take steps in that direction. Perhaps you can start part-time during the week or on weekends.
These are just a few ways you can start to work from home if you don’t already do so. Not long ago, many businesses had to close their physical offices and require workers to perform their duties remotely. So, the technology is there for work-from-home arrangements. If you work in an office and want to work remotely, these tips can help you achieve your objective.
