This question comes up a lot.  Whether you want to work from home one day a week, or need to move to another city altogether because of your spouse’s job, how have people gotten their employers on board with having them work from home?

I’ve done it many times and it really depends on the situation.  Once at a non-profit, it was simply the way everyone worked.  We were contractors and you could work whenever, wherever you wanted as long as you reached your goals for fundraising and event participants.  There were monthly scheduled meetings you needed to attend, but other than that…you were on your own.  With lots of support.

In a more traditional environment, I made the deal when I was hired.  I was fully prepared not to take the position if they didn’t allow me to work 80% time for 80% pay & benefits and if I couldn’t telecommute at least 1 day a week.  I was flexible as well, though.  If they really needed me in the office for a meeting either on my day off or on my telecommute day, I would be there…they didn’t abuse it, and I made sure I got my work done and on time.

Any other advice?

It all depends on the type of work. Some just isnt suited for the home and needs guidance or supervision. Some jobs however are doable at home, like telemarketing or doing other type of phone work. Data entry and translation work is the most convenient. Ive done both for several years, but not as a steady employee of a company but as a freelancer and independent contractor. This should also be possible and actually favored in a fully hired position. The main thing is that the amount of work gets done, within a certain time span. Now with the advent of mobile flash drives many companies can let employees transport company data and desktop appliances and even connect to the network from home. And that with security if passwords and encryption are used. I believe this is a key aspect for the future for modern enterprises.