Many companies now offer some telecommuting days where workers can simply work from home instead of commuting to the office five days each week. But how can you determine the best day to work from home?
The Best Day to Work from Home
If your company is going to provide one day per week for telecommuting, which day is best? One might think Mondays or Fridays to allow employees to ease in or out of the workweek without battling the extra traffic on those days. But one company, Doximity, has found that Wednesday is the most ideal day to allow employees to work from home.
Allowing telecommuting flexibility on Wednesdays at Doximity occurred in what you might call a happy accident. The company’s cofounder Shari Buck volunteered to teach at her daughter’s preschool on Wednesdays, and working from home gave her the flexibility to volunteer and manage her work obligations.
At the time that Buck was volunteering, Doximity was a startup. The company now has nearly 280 employees, and they allow employees to take Wednesdays as a flex day because of Buck’s success. Doximity found the following benefits for allowing Wednesday to be a telecommuting day companywide:
- Taking a midweek telecommuting day breaks up the week and alleviates a midweek slump.
- Avoiding Monday or Friday telecommuting days eliminates the idea that employees are getting a three-day weekend, causing the company to lose one day of productivity.
- Assigning a Wednesday flex day ensures accountability for each employee’s workload as they’ll report back to the office on Thursday.
- Allowing work-from-home Wednesday has promoted work-life balance for every employee.
Tips to Initiate Telecommuting Days in Your Workplace
- Determine what days will work best for your schedule to telecommute. Consider a midweek telecommute schedule like Doximity, and show your boss that you’re serious about putting in a strong effort at the beginning and end of the week.
- Research the history of telecommuting at your office. Is anyone doing it and doing so successfully? If so, use that person’s success as an example for your negotiation.
- Schedule a time to meet with your boss. Prepare for the meeting and be prepared to lay out your plan in detail, offer specific information on how you’ll handle your projects remotely, and prep for any questions that you may be asked.
- Depending on how many days you plan to telecommute, make a visibility plan where you show your boss how you’ll remain a visible part of the team.
- Make a list of how your telecommuting arrangement will benefit your boss and your team and share it with your supervisor.
- Lastly, suggest a trial period for your telecommuting plan and set a date to review it with your employer.
Looking for job that allows you to completely work remotely? Start your search by browsing the top 100 companies with remote jobs in 2018.
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