7 arguments with which you can finally convince your boss about working from home

Team members want to continue working from home even after Corona. There are good arguments for this. How specifically they are carried out by the boss often determines the success of the negotiation. That is what the expert advises.

Office workers do not necessarily have to go to the company building to do the job – many employees learned that during the corona crisis at the latest. Even in companies in which executives tended to be critical of the work at home, things suddenly worked. Quite a few team members have come to appreciate this new freedom. According to the German Salaried Health Insurance Fund (DAK), a slim majority of 58 percent of Germans could imagine working at least partially from home in the future.

But not every boss was comfortable with the bumpy home office phase. For many superiors, the office remains the so-called “place to be”. However, if you want to work at home for at least a few days, you should prepare well for the interview, says Teresa Hertwig.

The expert advises her agency Getremote other companies with the introduction of the home office and mobile working. In the t3n conversation, she explains how well or badly some of the arguments go down with the boss and reveals how things could go better. The mantra always applies: “What’s in it for my counterpart?” Says Teresa Hertwig.

Teresa Hertwig says: “This sentence is not meaningful enough on its own.” With this argument, the expert recommends naming very specific tasks that can be carried out more productively outside the office. “By listing certain areas of activity, the manager can also recognize the plausibility of the productivity increase for the company and is therefore more willing to agree.”

Since we are often interested in our own advantages, Teresa Hertwig would rather rotate the picture and instead make it clear what it means for the company to be less stressed as a team member. “One formulation could be: ‘In the open-plan office, the noise level stresses me out, which can lead to careless mistakes, especially in task XY,’” says the expert. This task could be delivered with a much higher quality in the quiet home office.

This is a nice side effect for employees, but not a powerful argument for negotiating with executives, says Teresa Hertwig. “The first consideration should always be: What is in it for my counterpart? Clearly naming these points and being able to empathize with the respective negotiating partner brings those interested in working from home much closer to their goal than just thinking about themselves. “

This sentence also comes up often – and here, too, the expert would be more specific. “What are the tasks? And which tasks can be carried out from home even better than just problem-free? ”Says Teresa Hertwig. Those who agree to work from home precisely for these activities help their managers avoid the often feared loss of control. Because then it is clear which result is to be achieved.

That is a good argument, because enabling future savings potential is a classic win-win situation. “Many employees are still reluctant to give up their permanent workstation and share a desk with colleagues. Showing oneself openly here and perhaps even offering to organize a group to test a desk-sharing concept as a pilot should be extremely attractive for a company. “

Many entrepreneurs and team members see the lack of a sense of togetherness as a problem. “The fact that it can also be maintained online is too weak as an argument for me at this point,” says Teresa Hartwig. It is better to propose tangible rituals to maintain the team feeling and to offer yourself as an organizer, according to the expert. Both online and in person. That shows initiative and solves a problem for the company.

The expert confirms that this is completely correct. However, this must also be actively stimulated. “To just mention this fact is a bit poor. However, if I voluntarily make myself available for an employee interview, which can be published on the company blog for employer branding, I create direct added value for the public image of my company, ”said Teresa Hertwig in an interview with t3n.