7 Boss buy ins

It's rare to start as a telecommuter, usually you need to get the boss to buy into the idea. How?

1. Accountability

This is probably the biggest reason the boss might not like the idea of telecommuting. "How do I know you're busy, or you're not slacking off?" Or even "how can I manage you if you're not here?" You need to prepare and establish this one before you even step into his office. Shift as much as possible to phone and email beforehand as a demonstration to how little you need the face to face time. Without establishing the trust that you will get things done, it's hard to push the idea. Even something as simple as offering to provide a daily update on what you accomplished will go a long way towards this.

2. Availability

Preach the fact you'll be able to get right to any issue from home. No having to commute into the office means you can get on top of something right away if there's a problem on the weekend or evenings. Do keep in mind you won't regularly be working then, on-call 24-7 defeats the point of the flexibility of home office work!

3. Savings

For you and the company. For you, it effectively gives you a raise with the lowered commute and food costs. For the company, plenty of savings in terms of office maintenance&supplies, power usage, and other in-office perks.

4. Temporary

It's much easier for the boss to swallow if you stress it's something to try in the short term to see if it works out. Give a timeframe you'd like to try X days a week from home, and then review at the end. When you do review at the end you should be able to point out the benefits that the company got out of you for that period as ammo to continue the remote work.

5. Retention

Don't approach this as a threat. They want to hear that this will make you happier, and keep you at your job longer. Not having to commute all or some of the time is a boon to the work-life balance. HR loves to tout phrases about work-life balance, and this is a chance for them to really show off in this regard.

6. Conservation

Not for everyone, but the saved commute energy and the savings at the office itself is a significant towards environmental impact.

7. Productivity

This is the easy one. They will doubt this, so don't make it the primary focus of your pitch. The benefit is there for most people, even if it's simply taking half of your commute time and adding it to your effective day instead of 'wasting' it traveling.