Going Virtual
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Judy Wolf
315-853-6993 (phone & fax)
pr@judywolf.com
Convincing
Your Boss
by
Judy Wolf
This is the second of a multi-part series on Going Virtual. If you've ever thought about joining the thousands of people who've made working from home part of their daily lives, these articles will guide you through some of the technology, paradigm shifts, and practical considerations that can make it possible in your own life.
In the last article ("Is Telework for You?"), we examined some of the personal qualities and job tasks that lend themselves to teleworking. Your homework was honest self-assessment and an examination of your current job duties.
Depending on the outcome you were hoping for ("wouldn't it be great to never have to go into the office again," for example), this scrutiny of your tasks and personality may have produced mixed results in terms of their compatibility with telecommuting. By now you should have a good idea of how much of your work can successfully be accomplished off site, and are ready to address the practicalities of a proposal.
Allow me to point out before we start that it's important to be forthright with yourself and your supervisor about the strengths and weaknesses of your case for telecommuting. A balanced proposal that offers intelligent solutions to potential obstacles is much stronger than one that tries to ignore or downplay difficulties. (For an employer's-eye view on the topic, read the sidebar "It's a Virtual World.")
Presenting Your Case
If your company doesn't already have a telecommuting program in place, a formal proposal is the best way to present your reasoning. It's a professional document that proves you've done your research, invested energy into strategic planning, and -- most important -- thought about the idea from your employer's point of view. Before getting into the nitty gritty of building your proposal, let's take a quick look at some of the benefits to all involved (see also the benefits sidebar, or obtain more in-depth statistics and discussions of benefits from resources listed on my web site).
An Overview of Benefits
Employers
For employers, reduced real estate costs, increased productivity, and reduced rollover costs are top reasons for embracing telework. In addition, increased employee morale has been shown to improve customer satisfaction and revenue, so telework can directly impact the bottom line from many angles.
Employees
According to a July 2002 survey by the Information Technology Association of America, 36% of registered voters would choose telecommuting over a pay raise, and there's good reason for this. Seventy-one percent of teleworkers reported to AT&T's 1997 Survey of Teleworker Attitudes and Work Styles that they were happier with their jobs, and 73% reported being more satisfied with their personal lives. Increased quality of life sits at the top of the list of employee benefits, with reduced stress levels, greater flexibility, and increased productivity also cited as key.
Community
The community benefits in multiple ways from telework arrangements. Companies that support teleworking help to reduce fossil fuel consumption and traffic congestion, and in the process make possible cleaner air and safer roads and neighborhoods.
Building Your Proposal
Any good proposal is well organized and easy to follow. The following main components will help arrange your thinking:
- At the beginning
of your proposal, include a Cover Sheet, followed by an Abstract
or Executive Summary. Note that while this goes first in
the final package, it should be written last (since it's a summary).
This is a one- to two-page overview of what's contained in the proposal. You want someone who reads only the executive summary to still walk away with an understanding of the situation, challenges, solutions, and recommendations. It should include the purpose of the proposal, an overview of the discussion and how it's organized, and the major conclusions and recommendations you present.
- If your proposal
is lengthy, you can include a Table of Contents.
- The first part
of the main proposal will be the Introduction.
This is where you provide an overview of the problem to be tackled in the report. Give a factual presentation of the current situation, followed by your Assessment. - Follow this with
a Discussion.
Here's the place to present statistics, considerations and facts such as which of your job tasks can be performed off site and why, costs, savings, benefits, and challenges that may come up such as face time and communication or performance evaluation concerns. You'll also describe your office space, including information about practicalites such as ventilation, lighting, equipment needs, and furniture. - Now for your Recommendations.
Outline specifics. Think in terms of stating exactly how you propose arranging your time; how many hours you'll work where; how you'll communicate with co-workers; how you and your manager will structure your off-site assignments, exchange completed work, and review peformance; who provides what equipment and/or covers which expenses; whether there will be any salary or benefits changes as a result of this situation; and any security arrangements that may need to be made. - If necessary,
you can support your proposal with Appendices.
This includes tables, charts, figures, and formal citations of research that are either inappropriate or too large to include in the body of the proposal.
What next?
Okay, what happens once you've sold the idea? The next article in this series, "Home Sweet Home...Office," covers key considerations for putting together an efficient home office and ensuring effective and professional communications.
Follow this link for a sample proposal (pdf).
For recommended books and web sites that accompany this article, please visit the resource section of my web site.
Copyright (c) 2002 Judy Wolf
About
the Author:
Judy Wolf (www.judywolf.com)
is a world traveler, freelance writer, speaker, and whitewater kayak instructor.
She's taken numerous, extended solo journeys around the world, traveling by
foot, bus, jeep, camel, truck, boat, train, plane, elephant, and bicycle to
over 30 countries on five continents. She currently lives in upstate New York
with her husband and border collie, where she's working on a book-length travel
narrative about her most recent adventures…that is, when she's not plunging
off waterfalls or entertaining the dog.
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