There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a seismic shift in how organizations viewed remote work. The pandemic changed the workplace drastically, making remote work more commonplace than ever before. However, lower COVID-19 numbers and companies left with empty offices to fill have required that some employees return to the workplace full time. Here are a few tips if your employer is asking you to return to an in-office work situation and you want to continue working remotely.
 

Schedule a Meeting

This is not a discussion that you want to have with your manager on the way out the door on a Friday afternoon or over water cooler banter. The better strategy is to set up a formal meeting where you will have plenty of time and privacy to make your pitch. Rather than be mysterious, simply state that you want to discuss your work arrangements. Most bosses do not want to be caught completely off guard. If possible, you may want to consider meeting in person to discuss your proposal.
 

Come to Meeting Prepared

It is time to start preparing for the meeting once you have a time and date on the books. Start by outlining the benefits of remote work for your personal situation. Be sure to show how this situation will also benefit your employer. There are loads of research that demonstrates that remote workers are typically more satisfied with their jobs. This satisfaction leads to better work performance. Do not hesitate to bring up this research when making your case. Coming to the meeting armed with concrete data will further your cause.
 

Make a Detailed Proposal

Your request will be taken more seriously if you take the time to work up a detailed proposal about how your remote work arrangement will transpire. Organizing a formal proposal will make it easier for your manager to see how this arrangement will be beneficial to everyone involved. It also shows that you are coming at this as a professional.

Included in your proposal should be the details of the flexibility that you are requesting. For example, do you want to work at home full-time or do you want a hybrid arrangement? Your tangible proposal should also offer specifics on how you plan to stay available when working remotely. This part of the proposal should detail any additional hardware or software that you will need to continue the remote work arrangement. Be sure to also use this opportunity to offer to answer any questions that your manager may have.
 

Suggest a Trial Phase

If you feel as if you may get some pushback about your idea to remain as a permanent remote worker, you may want to consider offering a trial phase. This trial period should be used to determine if the arrangement is mutually beneficial. You will get bonus points if you lay out the specific metrics that you will be expected to meet during this trial arrangement. Your manager will likely appreciate that you are offering a chance for them to test the waters with this permanent arrangement.
 

Consider Teaming Up

Chances are, you are not the only employee who is hesitant to return to an office environment. Working together with your coworkers to propose a work-from-home arrangement for everyone will increase your advocacy efforts. It is unlikely that a manager will want a large group of workers unhappy. Demonstrating that the desire to remain in the remote space is a common request will make it more likely that the organization considers this as a valid concern by the group. By creating a unified front, you will bolster your case and make it harder for the management team to ignore.

It is important to keep in mind that most employers want their workers to be happy. The last thing that you want to do is to quit your job without exploring all of the available options. Many workers end up being surprised at how amenable their management team is to keeping everyone happy. Being professional, flexible, and willing to compromise will lead to the best results if you prefer to remain working remotely.