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working from home - advice

flerlgirlflerlgirl member
in June 2013 Moms

My entire job is done through the internet, email, and Word. It could just as easily be done from home. So I am planning to ask my boss if she would be okay with me working from home two or three days a week once LO is here. It's ultimately up to the CEO, and she is hit or miss - some employees get to work entirely from home; others are burned at the stake for mentioning it. She likes me so I think she would be willing to give it a try.

I am going to wait until a little closer to June to bring it up - probably March or April - and I was going to list out my responsibilities and show how I could accomplish them from home.

All this to say, any advice on the best approach? BTDTs, if you work from home did you take any special measures or present it any specific way? I feel silly asking but I think if I approach it right I can have the best of both worlds with working and also being able to be with LO a little more.

TIA! I have to post n' run but I will be back later today.  






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Re: working from home - advice

  • jlaOKjlaOK member
    imagejessiegirl10.18:

    I work in an ad agency and I work 100% from home. 

    Some of the things that are important to my boss that I made sure to highlight when discussing:

    1.  I have my own work space.  She knows I have a separate space to work where I can talk on the phone with clients without "home" type sounds overwhelming the conversation.  Somewhere I can be focused and organized, etc.

    2.  That I have child care for the work day.  There is no way to WFH and take care of your child.  They are both full time jobs.

    3.  That I was more fulfilled from a work life balance standpoint (I had a long commute that ate up at least 2 hours of my day) which made me happier and more productive in my position.

    It works great and I love it.  That being said, I do also enjoy days where I have to leave the house for a meeting or work lunch, etc.  I also made it a point to have a standing weekly activity to make sure I was getting out of the house.  Cabin faver can set in quickly!

    I completely agree with this.  I work for a small engineering company and we all WFH, so I didn't have to ask for it, but I absolutely love it.  DS goes to daycare while I work.

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  • melissa0726melissa0726 member

    I'd say that the #1 thing to present to your employer is that you'll have routine, reliable childcare in place for the days that you will be working from home. 

    My company was very flexible about working from home, but that meant you were working and 100% available during your set hours.  No kids crying in the background during conference calls, no missing incoming phone calls or delayed responses to instant messages because you were changing diapers or cleaning up puke.

    If they seem wary or on the fence, suggest a trial period of three months once your maternity leave is complete.

    I think working part time from home is such a win-win, so if you can work it out, that would be great!  Good luck!

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  • flerlgirlflerlgirl member
    Thanks for the advice! My mom would be able to come watch LO while I work; it would really just be for the convenience of feedings, etc. I appreciate the feedback!





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  • xuxachixuxachi member

    I also work from home, but did this before having my LO.  One of the things that made this possible was that I had worked in the office for a long period of time before, so we all knew each other really well and how to work with one another.  You might list this as a proof point if it's true.  

    Another thing you could offer is to come into the office 1x a week, every other week, etc. (whatever works for you both) to make sure that there is an in-person touchpoint every once in awhile.  As time goes on, maybe you could reduce this.

     If I were your employer, I would assume that you are finding appropriate childcare for your LO if you are working from home.  There's nothing that will kill this arrangement quicker than if you try to juggle them both - it's just not possible.

    Right now I am only working part-time, and have a sitter who comes to my house 3x a week to watch DS.  The only way this works is that I have a separate office in a different part of the house and try to remain as invisible to my DS as possible, otherwise he just want to be with me and it's too challenging.

      

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  • DumbledoreDumbledore
    imagejessiegirl10.18:

    I work in an ad agency and I work 100% from home. 

    Some of the things that are important to my boss that I made sure to highlight when discussing:

    1.  I have my own work space.  She knows I have a separate space to work where I can talk on the phone with clients without "home" type sounds overwhelming the conversation.  Somewhere I can be focused and organized, etc.

    2.  That I have child care for the work day.  There is no way to WFH and take care of your child.  They are both full time jobs.

    3.  That I was more fulfilled from a work life balance standpoint (I had a long commute that ate up at least 2 hours of my day) which made me happier and more productive in my position.

    It works great and I love it.  That being said, I do also enjoy days where I have to leave the house for a meeting or work lunch, etc.  I also made it a point to have a standing weekly activity to make sure I was getting out of the house.  Cabin faver can set in quickly!

    Totally agree, especially with #2. I tried working from home at first when DS napped, but he quickly stopped napping and it was a huge failure. I switched to just being very part time in the office and will quit when this one comes. I have my own business as well but that is different than working from home for someone else, in my experience.

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  • flerlgirlflerlgirl member
    imagejessiegirl10.18:

    I work in an ad agency and I work 100% from home. 

    Some of the things that are important to my boss that I made sure to highlight when discussing:

    1.  I have my own work space.  She knows I have a separate space to work where I can talk on the phone with clients without "home" type sounds overwhelming the conversation.  Somewhere I can be focused and organized, etc.

    2.  That I have child care for the work day.  There is no way to WFH and take care of your child.  They are both full time jobs.

    3.  That I was more fulfilled from a work life balance standpoint (I had a long commute that ate up at least 2 hours of my day) which made me happier and more productive in my position.

    It works great and I love it.  That being said, I do also enjoy days where I have to leave the house for a meeting or work lunch, etc.  I also made it a point to have a standing weekly activity to make sure I was getting out of the house.  Cabin faver can set in quickly!

    These are excellent points. Luckily my parents live nearby and are more than willing to be on childcare patrol while I work. DH also works a 7-4 shift so once he gets home he could take over so it wouldn't even be a full day for my parents (that is, if they don't kidnap LO and pretend he is theirs..; they are serious about grandkids).

    I already work from home sometimes if I need to finish a project and have a workspace that is separate and has everything I need. I love what I do so I would hate to leave it or find something else but if this works for my boss I think it would be a great solution.

    Thanks!!  






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  • flerlgirlflerlgirl member

    imagejessiegirl10.18:
    Sounds like you should be good!  I will add that you should also not be afraid to set reasonable expectations.  I used to remind my boss that I may not be immediately available while I was nursing C, but that it was no different than if I was not immediately available while in the office because I was pumping.  It was never a big deal, but I would gently remind every now and again just in case someone was IM'ing me and I wasn't responding right away.

    The good thing about my boss is that even though we sit 5 feet from each other, she is an email communicator all the way. If it's urgent, she calls instead. But she lets me set my own work day and manage my own time unless there is an emergency. I have worked with her for a while so we already have a pretty open relationship when it comes to when we are/aren't available for whatever reason.

    Thanks again for the insight! 






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  • HisPromisIsTrueHisPromisIsTrue member

    You will want to have a nany or someone else to help with the baby while you are working from home. You won't be able to get anything done otherwise. Also, this will give your job a level of confidence that you are serious about keeping up with the work load.

     Also, if you have a dedicated work space they may also feel more comfortable.

    good luck, let us know how it goes. 

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