How can you negotiate a remote work arrangement that benefits both you and your employer?

It's a dance of dreams and expectations. Before taking steps to approach your manager you have to consider how realistic is for you remote work. Do a self-assessment and check how that will look for you. Do you have a space to work quietly? Do I have noise neighbours during the day with young kids crying? Will lack of socializing affect your future growth? I would even ask the manager to let me just 2 days work remotely, as a one-time, to see how it is. Probably it can be uncomfortable if you haven't done it before. But this can give you an idea of what to expect if you want to start this.

In my opinion, negotiating a mutually beneficial remote work arrangement involves clear communication of its advantages for both parties. Emphasize increased productivity and demonstrate how remote work aligns with the role's responsibilities. Propose a trial period to assess the arrangement's impact and assure your commitment to maintaining performance standards. Highlight potential cost savings for the employer, such as reduced office space expenses. Offer a structured plan for communication and collaboration to address any concerns about remote work impacting teamwork. Finally, be flexible and open to compromise, showcasing a commitment to ensuring a win-win scenario for both you and your employer.

Enfoca en beneficios para el empleador: Destaca cómo el trabajo remoto puede reducir costos operativos y mejorar la productividad. Conoce tus derechos: Infórmate sobre las regulaciones legales actuales que respaldan el teletrabajo, como el derecho a solicitarlo bajo ciertas condiciones. Prepara argumentos sólidos: Ten listos argumentos claros sobre cómo el teletrabajo puede beneficiarte y beneficiar a la empresa, como mejor equilibrio entre vida laboral y personal, mayor concentración, etc. Propuesta formal: Haz una solicitud formal y bien estructurada, explicando tus razones y cómo planeas manejar tus responsabilidades de forma remota.

I’ve worked remotely my entire career. Setting expectations that make both parties comfortable and clearly define success from the onset is key to everyone’s happiness with the arrangement. First let the employer know: 1)if you have experience working remotely and how you tracked KPI’s and the success you had within that structure 2)if you haven’t worked remotely how you would approach partnering with your manager to map and track KPI’s. 3)if you’re local to the job, offer to come in short-term to establish KPI’s that you’ll match (or exceed!) working remotely.

Setting clear boundaries and expectations will benefit you both. Let the spotlight shine on your independence, efficiency, and unwavering commitment. - How can you be contacted? It is not like just waking up at your desk. - How your schedule would look like, approximately? There will be room for flexibility, but your manager needs to understand when they can count on you - If the manager is particular about specific tasks, make sure to offer him a solution on how this will happen in the new environment so that your results will not change - Find a way to also work asynchronously if you are not needed immediately - different channels (Team, Slack) can help

As the article mentioned it, avoid the stressful times. In my experience, the best time to do this is when you have achieved something and your manager recognises you. This way the discussion will already start with you having provided results and having trust. If you don't already have anything to celebrate (finishing a project, signing a client, delivering a complicated piece of software) try to find an opportunity where you overperform and start the discussion in the next 1-2-1.

There are 8 points of negotiation when you have an offer on the table. And each of these can be considered as collateral for a remote position. 1. Salary - understand, there my not be the flexibility to get more than what was offered. 2. Vacation pay 3. PTO 4. Profit Share or end of year bonus 5. Allotment for professional development 6. 6-month review in lieu of 1 year 7. Signing bonus 8. ***Onsite, hybrid, remote The negotiation is a give and take and you may need to compromise in one area to get to a remote position. The 6-month review is a great place to move the needle now that they have seen what you can do and can see your dedication to the Company.

Before you negotiate the terms you should come to the discussion with your top must-have things, the items that are the most important to you (flexibility, benefits, and expenses for example), and prepare the things you are willing to cut on (salary, benefits). These are just some examples but it is good to be prepared, if the discussion gets stuck, get creative and offer alternatives " I can reduce my benefits, as I will not come into the office, but have this flexible schedule". Everything is about keeping an open mind and being clear about what you MUST HAVE. Offering a trial period can reduce the resistance from your manager, as they will see this as a reversible situation.

Adherence to the agreed-upon rules and guidelines is your compass. Consistency is your ally, and professionalism is your standard. Once you have the agreement now it is all about implementing it. Make sure you keep your end of the bargain and bring clear data to showcase this at the end of the trial period, or in the next evaluation.

After the trial is over, both you and the employer can decide to stop the process if there is not enough data supporting the decision (for the employer) or if you feel like this is not the right move for you. Don't look at it from the perspective that "if I asked this, I can't go back". Ideally, you would have already had this answer from the beginning, but things can change - something in your personal life has changed and doesn't benefit you working from home. Once the decision is final, review it periodically with your manager and continue training and growing. Socializing can be an issue for remote workers, so find ways to participate in important company events at least, to keep in touch with the people there.

As someone who has worked remotely for more than a couple of decades, I don’t buy the “need” to be in the office. Too many times I’ve traveled to offices only to find key stakeholders out of the office visiting customers. Plus in my particular role in global companies, my SMEs were not in the office closest to my home. Being able to shift commute time to company time has only benefitted my employers. Shifting the cost of heating and air conditioning and WiFi to me vs my employer has benefited their bottom line. I understand that there are some roles that benefit from co-location and collaboration, but to negate the ability to collaborate via technology is ignorant.

The following is probably more relevant for small to medium sized companies: Your ability to communicate easily with colleagues in the office is key to your success, so make sure the company has the IT infrastructure to adequately support remote workers. Also, if the company isn't accustomed to having people work remotely, it's vital that they are truly committed to supporting you and ensuring your status with the company isn't degraded because you're not in the office every day.

It's important to recognize that the desired outcome is not necessarily to gain the ability to work remotely or a new job with such capability. It is to obtain such a role where the opportunity to work remotely can be successful. When looking for remote work, you should seek to understand the company structure, what other roles are working, and how that affects the day-to-day. You can be given a job remotely, but without the support of others and a culture that will allow you to be successful, you will be challenged to thrive.

The recent wave of "back to the office" has been perplexing. The pandemic period taught us that remote does work, especially for back office tasks. So why the old-school culture? Personally seeking part-time hybrid role but nobody is interested in fast onboarding my skills....