30 Rich Women Who Work From Home Share What They Do For A Living

Workplace expert Taylor said that as many companies are trying to force their employees back to the office, this isn’t going over well with many of them. “Many feel their productivity has increased while working from home. They believe the push to return is a move backward to yesterday’s way of work, out of touch with today’s realities,” she told Bored Panda via email.

Of course, not all jobs can be performed well or even better remotely. However, more companies will have to be open-minded, the workplace expert said. “Some employers have more rigid policies on remote work than others, but you still have options.”

Taylor was kind enough to share with us a few things that employees can do to convince their employers to offer them ongoing remote work. A good starting point, according to the author of ‘Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant,’ is putting your plan in writing.

“First of all, it clarifies exactly what you want and why, before just asking generically for remote work. For example, would you come to the office for meetings? Once a week? Knowing exactly where you’re negotiable early on will always increase your chances of success. You don’t have to put all your cards on the table, but make sure you know your boundaries,” she explained.

“This proposal also gives you a platform to incorporate other industry research on the topic. There are many surveys and articles about the benefits of remote work—for both parties. To be fair, include some of the objections, but you can counter them, according to your own situation. Your trade or professional association may also offer statistics. Consider networking with others in these groups for additional evidence and insight on WFH.”

Next, Taylor suggests discussing this critical topic with your manager, face-to-face. Set up a meeting and talk about your proposal. 

“Another benefit of such a meeting is, you’ll gauge the reaction you’re getting. Meeting face-to-face will allow you to pick up on nuances from your boss, which can only help you in your negotiation,” she explained to Bored Panda that employers want to know that their staff is reasonable and dedicated. “They want to be assured you’re a team player and not looking to slide or take an easy route.”

Of course, one of the best tools at your disposal here is to prove to management that your productivity has increased while you’ve been working remotely.

“For example, if you’re in sales and you’re getting more leads and closing more deals versus pre-remote, that’s powerful. If you’re producing more or higher quality reports; saving the company money; developing new products or revenue-enhancing proposals—that can be highly convincing. It’s best to document as much as you can while working remotely. It’s hard to argue with facts,” the workplace expert noted.

Something else to consider is doing a direct comparison between remote and in-office work. You could offer to spend a week or two in the office and then at home, and then let your boss decide which scenario offers greater productivity and results. “Be sure to document as much as you can so that: your test is fair and the results are detailed enough for comparison,” Taylor said.

If your priority is remote work, you may even want to consider taking slightly less pay to make this happen. Though this might be challenging because of how inflation is affecting people’s purchasing power. “Helping one’s salary go further is one of the many reasons remote work is so popular,” the workplace expert told us.

“That said, if you really love your job and prefer not to jump to another position that happens to offer remote work, it may be worth negotiating for a slightly lower salary, or at least delaying your next increase,” she said.

“Never bargain your way out of a good salary, especially in today’s tight labor market. But if remote work saves you peace of mind and reduces expenses, and you really love your job—it may be worth doing the math and considering it. Especially if it’s for a limited period of time.”

All that said, it’s vital that you remain professional when talking about these heated topics. “Don’t let your emotions enter the fray. For example, avoid complaining about others you know who are working remotely at other companies (or yours). Never threaten to resign over it. It’s better to stick to the facts and your own productivity level and contributions as you make your case.”

Forbes notes that the top benefits that employees value the most include flexible work hours, company pensions, and early leaves on Fridays. In fact, one survey showed that 95% of workers actually care more about flexible hours than remote work. 

Meanwhile, other much-valued perks include four-day work weeks, health insurance, and paid days off to take care of one’s mental health. All of these things can motivate employees and show them that management really does care about their welfare.

Though remote work has plenty of benefits, it’s far from perfect. It can give people the flexibility to save time on their commutes, spend more time with their family, take better care of their health, and spend time on their passion projects and hobbies. However, Megan McArdle, writing for The Washington Post, points out that, in the long term, remote workers don’t build the skills and connections that can help them get a better job in the future. Remote workers can also be more at risk of being laid off when the economy goes down the drain.

According to McArdle, something that could entice employees to return to the office is making those spaces worthwhile to return to. “And I mean this literally: offices. Not open floor plans where people can hear every word, sneeze and gum-chew that comes from a co-worker’s mouth. Nor dispiriting cubicles that make them feel like rats in a maze. But small rooms with desks and doors that close,” The Washington Post writer explains.

Open offices can be incredibly noisy, hard to concentrate in, and offer little to no privacy and barely any personal space. Proper offices, possibly mixed with hybrid work, could offer a good balance between collaboration and privacy, socializing and deep, uninterrupted work.