What should you do to ask for a work from anywhere arrangement? This is especially important if you are negotiating a job or if you have been working remotely and don't want to go back to the office. The author suggests five steps. 2) Make a statement about the positive impact you can have. If you are moving, be prepared to take a salary cut. 4) You can prove your ability to work remotely by using data. 5) Do not expect a single conversation.Julia* called me cautiously excited to inform me that she had been offered the job of her dreams as global workplace experience director for a top consumer brand company. She was thrilled to be working for a well-respected brand. Julia was hesitant about accepting the job because she had to move to the headquarters of her employer, which is a thousand miles away. She didn't want to leave her two children in primary school. But she also didn't want to miss this chance. She had to learn how to navigate the relocation process.Julia is not the only one who wants a work-from anywhere setup. This is especially true given the Covid-19 pandemic, which highlighted what workers value most about employment. Morning Consult conducted a survey and found that 87% of respondents would like to have the option to work remotely, 33% don't want to work for employers that require them to be present full-time and nearly 50% are willing to leave a job without having access to some virtual work. This new integration of work and life is having a major impact on the future workplace. Many employees are open to a hybrid work-life balance. Harvard Business School Online also found that 27% of respondents would prefer to work remotely.When you are negotiating a job, or if you have been working remotely and don't want to come back in-person, how do you ask for a "work-from-anywhere" arrangement? This is the advice I shared with Julia, and other coaching clients.It's all about them.Julia asked me to help her consider what she wanted to gain from working remotely. She could view her negotiation from the perspective of a hiring manager and approach it as a win-win.Because her job involves strategic planning and long hours of uninterrupted work to gather market research data, I advised her to tell her that she could work from home without affecting her coworkers. This would also make her more productive and efficient, which would be a benefit to the company. I suggested she share research showing that people who are primarily focused on planning perform best when they don't have to be constrained by time.Show your impact.Josh*, another one of my coaching clients was a marketing director at a real-estate technology company. He lived on the 16th Floor of a New York City high-rise when the pandemic struck. It became unbearable to squeeze into an elevator or commute on the subway. He decided to move to Maine to be near his family. Although he never imagined that his move would be permanent, he realized after one year that he did not want to return to the city. Josh was forced to reevaluate his long-term work arrangement after his New York-based employer announced that they would be reopening in May 2021. In an effort to formalize his work from anywhere arrangement, he had a conversation to his manager.Josh approached me to discuss approaching his manager. I suggested that he present a case for effectiveness and not personal convenience. I advised Josh to explain why he finds his current job meaningful and to share what he would do to make it work. My coaching helped him show that he could have a huge impact on the company from his home. Josh shared his plans to create a new dashboard for marketing operations that he and his team would make a reality in the next six to eight month. He was enthusiastic about the potential impact these tools would make on their ability to use the data and improve their campaigns' performance.If you are moving, be prepared to take a cut in your pay.I advised Josh to investigate if his company has a remote employee compensation plan. A recent survey on work-from-home policies revealed that approximately 4% of companies, which includes high-profile brands like Google and Facebook said they would lower employees' salaries if they moved to a less-cost area. These employers believe that those who choose to live in high-cost areas have higher living costs and should therefore be paid more.Josh realized that he needed to be ready to accept a lower salary because he moved to a less-expensive area. He also had to plan for covering his travel expenses for his quarterly meetings with his team. I advised him to consider the long-term and weigh the loss of income against the higher quality of life and lower costs of living.You can prove your remote success with data.Both Josh and Julia were suggested by me that they record their virtual collaboration skills and list the achievements they have made while working remotely. Josh made sure to highlight the value he was providing to his employer by highlighting his achievements, such as successfully launching a product and reaching his 2020 revenue goals. Julia stressed the importance of numbers in order to demonstrate her success in reaching her annual goals, even though she was working remotely for her previous employer.It's one thing to be able to work remotely for a while, but it is equally important to plan how you will continue to be productive, committed, and accountable in your current role. Each of my clients was moving forward with building their case for permanent work from home. I asked them to keep a data-focused mind and think about how they would communicate progress with their bosses, set goals, and measure the results. This research would prove to their employer that they have thought about how to make work-from home more effective over the long-term and how the company would benefit.Do not expect a quick conversation.When discussing a work from anywhere plan, one of the most important things you need to remember is to be patient. The company leadership must navigate this new terrain as everyone else. It is natural to want to be able to come out of lockdown with a set of plans for how and where you will work indefinitely. However, existing arrangements can change as companies adjust to new working conditions.Your manager might need to have a dialogue with you for a few days, or even weeks, especially if this is your boss's first time navigating this issue. Managers might need to talk with their supervisors or human resources before deciding on the best way forward. Julia was the first to request a work from anywhere arrangement. Her manager had to discuss it with HR and her division vice-president before proceeding.You must get written confirmation of whether you are granted permanent work-from home or your boss agrees to a trial period. It will make sure everyone understands that the arrangement can be made, regardless of who the manager may be. Remember: Although some flexibility can be helpful while you negotiate, this flexibility should also apply to both sides. Remote-work is an option that allows you to work from home if your employer won't compromise on the issues most important to YOU.* These are not their real names.
