As an aspiring working digital nomad one of the huge hurdles you may come up against is how to persuade your boss to work remotely and that it is a good, sustainable idea. There are many pitfalls and traps that aspiring nomads fall into when approaching the subject. If you want to get that resounding yes you must tread carefully.
Here is the Xennial strategy to persuade your boss to work remotely:
Trust
The first questions you must ask yourself before broaching the subject of remote work are:
- “Have I consistently performed well throughout my term of employment?”
- “Am I a trustworthy employee?”
- “Can I prove that I am a trustworthy employee?”
- “Do I have a good working relationship and rapport with my boss”
If the answer is yes you can move onto the next stage of the strategy.
If the answer is no you must take the time to cultivate the traits of a great employee along with nurturing your relationship with your boss.
Bonus: If you can provide measurable proof that backs up these claims even better!
When these things are in place it will bolster your chances of achieving the remote life of your dreams.
Research Research Research
One thing employees consistently overlook is the ability to empathize with their boss. A lot of the time bosses will feel as if their employees only care about themselves which creates a disconnect when it comes to understanding one another. To combat this you must arm yourself with statistical facts as to how letting you work remotely will benefit your boss and their company as a whole.
Work out logistics ahead of time and think of clear answers for any doubts of questions your employer may have. Having a plan and being prepared will help you increase the chances of getting what you want out of your work life.
Here are some data points you can use:
- A Stanford study showed that employees who transitioned to remote work had a performance increase of 13%. This was due to remote workers taking shorter breaks and having less distractions in the general work environment.
- Businesses that let their employees work remotely see a 25% lower employee turnover compared to businesses who don’t allow this.
- Remote workers are 13% more likely to stay in their current job for a further 5 year period compared to onsite workers according to the Owl Labs State of Remote Work Report.
Present The Data
Focus on company benefits first and foremost when it comes to presenting your proposal to your boss. When talking to your boss try to come across as solution driven rather than nagging them with your wants and needs.
Another thing you can do is provide a document of policy suggestions and agreements so remote workers cannot take advantage of the company. If there are very clear parameters of the proposed work solution then neither party will be able to take advantage of the fact.
Run a Test
The next part of the “convince your boss” strategy is to run a three month probationary period of employment where you will have the freedom to work remotely.
Within the test you will agree with your boss that if they do not like the outcome of remote work you are willing to revert back to your original status of working from the office.
Offer an alternative
Let’s say your boss isn’t keen on the idea of you working fully remote.
Or perhaps you did a test run of the probationary period and it didn’t work out.
Sounds disappointing right?
All is not lost!
The next step to persuade your boss to work remotely is to offer an alternative work situation, a compromise shall we say!
You could offer to work from home for three days a week. This means you and your employer can have the best of both worlds.
Top tip: If you want to negotiate further try and convince your boss to let you work remotely on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
This means that if you include the weekend you will have five days to travel wherever you wish. Short trip to Venice anyone?
Don’t be discouraged
Big changes take time. The modern world of work can be stressful and scary for employers because modernity means change. Ensure you are communicating effectively with your boss and keep making those baby steps to live the life of your dreams.
