Telecommuting for Dads:
The Payoff Benefits You, Your Kids and Your Manager
Both working
dads and working moms want more time with their family,
even as they fill the role of provider. Yet men, more
than women, are under more societal pressure to work
full time.
That means job sharing or other part-time options are
less-accepted and rarely used among them.
And the otherwise viable full-time work option of a
compressed workweek (four, 10-hour days) may be a tough
sell if 10-hour days, five days a week, are the cultural
work norm in your department.
So dads, seriously consider asking your manager for a
telecommuting arrangement instead.
Are You a Good telecommuting Candidate?
If your full-time employment is at an outside office
doing so-called “knowledge work,” you may
be a suitable candidate for doing your current job from
home during part of the workweek.
Here are 3 reasons why a telecommuting
arrangement may payoff for you:
1. There's no cut in salary or benefits.
Telecommuting allows you to retain your regular,
full-time schedule so there's no need to sacrifice pay
or benefits in exchange for more flexibility and time.
2. Your visibility can be maintained.
You can maintain an acceptable level of the “face-time
factor” on your at-the-office days. On
work-at-home days, which are typically negotiated for
one or two days a week, others can reach you through
communication normally used at the office, such as
telephone, email, instant messaging and fax.
3. You get more time with your family!
Telecommuting from a home office can be a savvy way
to carve out several more hours each week to be
with your family. How?
- By cutting the commute,
- by scaling down your extended workdays, and
- by trading de-stressing time for family time.
Let's look at some specifics.
You Save Hours of Commuting Time
How many hours? If you successfully
negotiate to work from home two days a week—a common
telecommuting arrangement—you would cut out four
time-draining commutes.
Figure out how many saved hours a week that yields
for you. What family-bonding activities could you do
with your kids in those chunks of time?
Start by showing your manager that you can do some of your job remotely using the latest
technology. For example, do a free trial of remote access software such as GoToMyPC or LogMeIn.
You Can Scale Down Some of Your Extended Workdays
You know what I’m talking about: The days that stretch
for 10+ hours as you work on a crucial project or a
pressing deadline.
How does telecommuting whittle down the workday?
Double-digit productivity gains are well-documented
among employees who work from a remote location. (This
is a selling point with your manager.)
Working at home virtually eliminates all socializing
and many interruptions. That means greater
concentration, better workflow, less time wasted, more
productive work output in fewer hours.
Result? You recoup those lost dinner hours with your
family, at least some of the time.
You Can Shift an Hour of Daily De-stressing to an Hour With Your Family
Long days at the office and stressful commutes deliver a
weary dad to the doorstep. Sure, you’re home from work.
You’re there. The kids are there.
But when you’re
feeling tense and your energy is drained, it’s hard to
really “be there” with them, right?
You may need an hour or so of peace and
quiet—alone—before engaging with your family. More lost
time...
Yet when you reap the combined benefits of the two other
pay-offs you just read above, playing or reading with
the kids at the end of your less-stressed telecommuting
workday may be the perfect prescription for the
work-to-home transition time.
Put it all together and you can see that
telecommuting works in winning ways for you and your
kids.
The Way to Make the Request is in Writing
The productivity pay-offs of telecommuting will likely
appeal to your manager, yet here's the nagging question
s/he wants answered before approving your request to
work from home:
“Exactly how will your
work get done under your proposed telecommuting arrangement?”
A written proposal detailing the answer and your
specific plan for making it work is the best way to
address your manager's concerns.
With the [Proposal Package] template, it
was easy to just plug in the pieces that related to
my job...I was well-prepared
with a strategy and ready answers to my boss's
questions and concerns. Bottom-line: my telecommuting
proposal was approved. Thank you. Brad Palmer,
Atlanta, GA
The Fastest Way to Write a Convincing Proposal
If you're looking for a short-cut path to putting
together a professional, organized, convincing proposal
to telecommute, order the Telecommuting
Proposal Package.
 Dear Pat...I'm on my way to
telecommuting!...your proposal...worked like a charm.
[It] provided me with the correct framework to tailor my
telecommute request to my personal and professional
situation. It was money well spent...thank you...
Ron Herber, American Water Heater, Johnson City, TN
Learn More
Order Now
Do you want less stress and more time
with your family? Take action now with the first step
toward making telecommuting a reality for you.
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