Work From Home, Even in a Bad Economy

Write a proposal. To assuage your manager's fears that "working remotely" is code for "only remotely working," you need to make your case in writing. Specifically you need to:

Point out the business advantages. The fact that you'll be more productive with a reduced commute is a business advantage; that fact that you've always wanted to work in your jammies is not.

Include articles and research to back up your point — for example, an April 2008 study by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that employees with flexible work arrangements called in sick less and were more committed to the job. Also be sure to throw in a reference to helping the company reduce its impact on the environment; after all, green is the new black.

Suggest a trial period. To ease your manager's mind, Seitel recommends a trial of one or two days a week for a maximum of 90 days. Be specific about the hours and days you'll telework each week so your manager and coworkers know what to expect. Don't choose Mondays, though, or whatever your most meeting-laden day of the week is.

Outline the specifics. How will you interact with your boss, coworkers and customers while working remotely? (Email? Conference call? Morse code?) Where will you work? (In a spare bedroom? Your finished basement?) Do you have all the necessary equipment (workstation, computer), or do you need your employer to provide some of it? Your manager will want to see that you have the resources to pull this off — and the less it costs them, the better.

Set up a yardstick for measuring success. Some managers get nervous when you're not in your chair eight hours a day. Give them a way to measure your productivity and see that you're not just watching "The Jerry Springer Show."

Specifics such as, "I will contact 60 people on the days that I work from home, I will make six sales, or I will send out this much material," will get you far, Seitel says. If you can't quantify your progress with numbers, use anecdotal yardsticks, she says, such as, "Are your coworkers satisfied? Are your customers satisfied?"