Should I push the issue?

Adriamichelle83

I recently transferred to a new job and the job I'm in now is very laid back. My boss is only in the office 1-2 days a week. I don't answer phones or anything like that, even though I'm clerical. I recently asked if I could work flex (from home) as I have a laptop and in my previous job, it was encouraged. I work for the fed gov, so it's all inner agencies. My boss said that it would be ok occasionally, if DD were sick or if I had some deliveries coming, etc. He really didn't want me working a lot from home though as he wants me to be his 'eyes & ears' of the office, a lookout of sorts. I have no idea why, there's nothing going on, I'm holed away in a separate office with his away from the rest of the staff, it just doesn't make sense. They just passed a 'law' with the Union that they have to let us work flexi-place unless there is a valid reason why we can not (ie: job can't be done at home), this is completely not the case for me. Everything I do at work can be done on my couch with my laptop. So, my question is, should I approach the issue again? And if so, how should I do it to where I'm not coming across as a thorn in his side? Should I just let it go and suck it up? Advice!

daisy662

I wouldn't push it if I were you. Your boss clearly doesn't like the idea - his reasoning shouldn't matter.

Shame on the union for putting this into play. WFH is not for everyone. Many people are not as productive WFH and seeing as though you have a union, it will be difficult for your superiors to do anything about it. What a mess. And you say you work for the government? Gotta love our government.

 

Adriamichelle83

Thanks for the responses!

ThreeGirls726

Do you have a long commute to/from work? Or is it just more convenient to work from home?

cecilyandgautam

I'm also a fed and the new law gives managers a lot of say in the matter, even though we'd supposed to be encouraged to do it. You should have a telework agreement in place that at least allows you to telework in the event of a weather emergency, etc. Once you have that signed & ready to go, you could occasionally ask for a telework day, ie - the Friday before a 3 day weekend (but not this upcoming weekend since you just asked and he basically said no). If those occasional telework days have been going well, you could ask for 1 day x pay period during your annual review. 

My super isn't too thrilled with the idea either even though my work can be mostly done from home as well. So we'll just start out with extreme weather / metro shutdown circumstances and the occasional "need to take my daughter to a Dr appt" days. Once I've proven myself a bit longer, I'll bring it up at a review. I suspect my agency will start having telework quotas for each office anyway. 

katieh1017

I agree with not pushing the issue... I know this is after the fact but maybe a way to ease him into it was to have asked to work one day a week from home and have a set day so there is some consistency.

EastCoastBride

I would wait a little longer.  Give him more time to see the kind of employee you are, etc.

Then, in time, approach him again and have a plan in place.  List the benefits to HIM for letting you WFH a couple days a week.  If you can, address the reasons he wants you in the office and why they aren't a concern.  And so forth.

 

Adriamichelle83

cecilyandgautam:

I'm also a fed and the new law gives managers a lot of say in the matter, even though we'd supposed to be encouraged to do it. You should have a telework agreement in place that at least allows you to telework in the event of a weather emergency, etc. Once you have that signed & ready to go, you could occasionally ask for a telework day, ie - the Friday before a 3 day weekend (but not this upcoming weekend since you just asked and he basically said no). If those occasional telework days have been going well, you could ask for 1 day x pay period during your annual review. 

My super isn't too thrilled with the idea either even though my work can be mostly done from home as well. So we'll just start out with extreme weather / metro shutdown circumstances and the occasional "need to take my daughter to a Dr appt" days. Once I've proven myself a bit longer, I'll bring it up at a review. I suspect my agency will start having telework quotas for each office anyway. 

Right, I have a signed agreement in place, and he actually has been great about it so far. I approached the issue upon my arrival, which was over a month ago, so it wasn't last week or anything, but I think I agree with everyone about giving it time and bringing it up again during my review. I've teleworked twice so far and it has gone great, still was able to set up the conf calls and everything. But I guess I'll just give it time. Thanks for everyone's input!  

Nechie122

daisy662:

I wouldn't push it if I were you. Your boss clearly doesn't like the idea his reasoning shouldn't matter.
Shame on the union for putting this into play. WFH is not for everyone. Many people are not as productive WFH and seeing as though you have anbsp;union, it will be difficult for your superiors to do anything about it. What a mess. And you say you work for the government? Gotta love our government.
nbsp;

I don't understand why this makes you so angry. I think our government is setting a good example for other employers. First of all, this isn't a mandate that everyone must WFH; it's a suggestion that opens the lines of communication and gives people more options. Working from home can be a boon to many workers, especially women. And studies have found that flexible work schedules are good for the environment by reducing pollution from commuting and saving on the energy costs of running these big office spaces.

Good for women? Ecofriendly? People still have a choice to come in if they think they'll be more productive?

Go government!

sooner1981

Would you still be taking your children to childcare on the days you telework?   To me, the idea of working from home is very confusing.  Moms say they love it--but do they love it because they don't have to pay for DC that day?  In that case, your employer is really not getting the benefits they are paying for, because you have to man the ship at home with your children and try to fit in your job during spare seconds--clearly, your kids get more of your attention than your job in a situation like this.  If it is true telecommuting, where your kids are being cared for by another person or at daycare and you are in an office-like setting at home and fully engaged in your job, how is that so much more beneficial than being at your office? 

I think so many people abuse the hell out of the "teleworking" concept that it makes managers and supervisors very, very leary about agreeing to allow it.

Adriamichelle83

sooner1981:

Would you still be taking your children to childcare on the days you telework?   To me, the idea of working from home is very confusing.  Moms say they love it--but do they love it because they don't have to pay for DC that day?  In that case, your employer is really not getting the benefits they are paying for, because you have to man the ship at home with your children and try to fit in your job during spare seconds--clearly, your kids get more of your attention than your job in a situation like this.  If it is true telecommuting, where your kids are being cared for by another person or at daycare and you are in an office-like setting at home and fully engaged in your job, how is that so much more beneficial than being at your office? 

I think so many people abuse the hell out of the "teleworking" concept that it makes managers and supervisors very, very leary about agreeing to allow it.

I would continue to bring my child to DC, she's already in FT, so we would continue that. It would be beneficial to me because I wouldn't be commuting 30 minutes to work each way, I wouldn't have to spend an hour or so getting ready in the morning also (huge bonus) DD's daycare is 10 minutes from my home, so I could bring her in quite easily before work started. My point is, there is no reason, work-load wise, that I would need to get dressed for and drive in to work to complete. All meetings are held via conference call, only 1 is face-to-face during the week. I have no issues coming in for that. I just dont understand why it is looked at negatively by some, as long as the work is getting done. Except for face-time, there is no need for me to be present in an empty office.

Adriamichelle83

Estwd2:

If I had the option, I'd do it full-time. There are many benefits, namely money. I would spend much less on gas. I would not pay for parking at work. I would pay less for daycare because she would be there less hours. I would even pay less for my wardrobe without having to buy work clothes.

I honestly think the ones that seem to be anti-telework are the ones that aren't allowed to do it. I can't imagine WANTING to go into an office every day instead of being comfortable in your home and doing the work. JMO.

Nechie122

sooner1981:

Would you still be taking your children to childcare on the days you telework?nbsp;nbsp; To me, the idea of working from home is very confusing.nbsp; Moms say they love itbut do they love it because they don't have to pay for DC that day?nbsp; In that case, your employer is really not getting the benefits they are paying for, because you have to man the ship at home with your children and try to fit innbsp;your job during spare secondsclearly, your kids get more of your attention than your job in a situation like this.nbsp; If it is true telecommuting, where your kids are being cared for by another person or at daycare and you are in an officelike setting at home and fully engaged in your job, how is that so much more beneficial than being at your office?nbsp;
I think so many people abuse the hell out of the "teleworking" concept that it makes managers and supervisors very, very leary about agreeing to allow it.

Childcare is obviously a must. And personally, I'm old fashioned and like going into an office each day.

But I think what you're not seeing is the big picture. To an increasing extent, in many professions, work is no longer conducted in a single time zone, in a single geography and in a single place. Most of us don't turn off our computers at 5 and mentally shut off work for the day. We check email, we respond to "emergencies" from clients in Hong Kong, we dial into meetings on vacation. Flexible work spaces are the wave of the future.

If we give so much of ourselves 24/7, why not allow mom to meet her kids at the bus stop and then go back and finish her work while her kids do homework? Why not let a pregnant woman avoid the subway and work from the comfort of her couch?

And I've already mentioned other benefits for companies like real estate cost savings and energy efficiency.

daisy662

Nechie122:

daisy662:

I wouldn't push it if I were you. Your boss clearly doesn't like the idea his reasoning shouldn't matter. Shame on the union for putting this into play. WFH is not for everyone. Many people are not as productive WFH and seeing as though you have anbsp;union, it will be difficult for your superiors to do anything about it. What a mess. And you say you work for the government? Gotta love our government. nbsp;

I don't understand why this makes you so angry. I think our government is setting a good example for other employers. First of all, this isn't a mandate that everyone must WFH; it's a suggestion that opens the lines of communication and gives people more options. Working from home can be a boon to many workers, especially women. And studies have found that flexible work schedules are good for the environment by reducing pollution from commuting and saving on the energy costs of running these big office spaces. Good for women? Ecofriendly? People still have a choice to come in if they think they'll be more productive? Go government!

As an HR Executive, it frustrates me. I have seen far to many employees take advantage of our litigious society and the unions do not help this situation. People have such a sense of entitlement and they forget that they are being paid to do a job - therefore, the employer should be allowed to mandate what that looks like.  Organizations are being cornered into making bad business decisions due to government regulations and unions mandating policies. This is impacting our economy.

Not everyone is honest enough to say admit that they are not disciplined enough to WFH. Not saying OP is one of them, but the employer should ultimately be able to make this decision for what is best for the organization. It is not the employer's problem to make a "flexible work environment" - That just doesn't work for all businesses.

Pesky

You "recently transferred".  Give it time and abide by his answer for now.  Once he realizes that you are as productive at home as in the office, he's likely to loosen his stance but realize that could take a significant amount of time.  Took me over a year to get to where my boss was comfortable with me working from home some and about 2 years before he was comfortable with me working from home more frequently as my DH travelled.

1026pumpkin

I work in a field where most people who have experience are able to work from home, but there is a much higher level of suspicion around new workers.  I would try working from home once/month, then every other week, then once a week, etc....gradually increase it.  Make sure you are being very productive and responsive to phone/email and let your boss know how well it's working out for you.  If he seems receptive, maybe have another discussion about how well it's working.  Some selling points are that you're better able to focus with out the distractions of co-workers stopping by your desk, wanting to go on coffee runs, etc.

That said, it's VERY hard to get meaningful work done with a baby at home.  The days I have to work from home when my son is here (sick or DC closed), I really only stay on top of emails and calls and get my actual work done after he goes to bed- I stay afloat, but it's not productive. 

I would make sure that the first few times you work from home, you do it without baby, so your boss can see how effective you can be from home and build some trust.  Don't have his first expereinces with you working from home be days where you're trying to take care of a sick kid.