Permission Request Letter to Work From Home (Format & Samples)

Some circumstances inevitably force us to work from home. If and when they arise, we will often be forced to abandon our ordinary office chores and routines and retreat home. Not every other employer may be comfortable with that arrangement. They may usually have to be convinced beyond reasonable doubts before issuing permission to that end.

This may often require drafting the permission letter to work from home. As its designation implies, this letter simply seeks the permission of the employer or line manager to have the affected employee work away from the traditional office.

When drafting this letter, it is essential to bear in mind certain issues and parameters. These are the ones that inform the right letter and its ability to serve the purpose for which it is naturally drafted. Below are the ‘must-haves’ in this letter:

• Identify your employment details and department. Start the letter by identifying yourself and the department in which you work. Providing employment details is to avoid any ambiguities and also to let the line manager easily deduce whether the request is reasonable or not.
• State why you would like to work from home. Now get to the core of the letter. Here, state why you would like to work from home. Avoid wrong ‘negative’ reasons that may jeopardize your chances of being allowed to work from home. Some of these could be to avoid workmates, to enjoy a party, to go for a movie and so on.
• Specify the affected dates. For how long would you wish to work from home? Is it permanently or for a predefined duration of time? Be sure to specify these dates explicitly in the letter. Providing exact dates will go a long way in eliminating ambiguities and the misconceptions that come along ordinarily.
• Explain how reachable you will be. Your workmates will need you while you are away. Explain in the letter how you intend to be reached when away. Provide your active email and phone numbers to the line manager to let him use them to get to you. Ensure your employer that you will be active and easily reachable during your working hours.
• Address other pertinent concerns. Lastly, address other concerns that may naturally arise. For instance, could there be a shortfall in productivity while you are away? If yes, how do you plan to have them dealt with it? And how will you ensure that the proper functioning of the firm is upheld even when you are away?

Not every reason you give will guarantee that you get permission to work from home. Nonetheless, some reasons are most likely to guarantee you this permission. Here are some common excuses to work from home:

• Childcare. This is by far the most common reason to work from home. If you are a new parent, you will often want to have time off duty to be able to attend to your child’s welfare. Many companies give 3-6 months off from active office work under this circumstance.
• Pregnancy. Pregnancy comes in next. In many cases, this leave will usually take the latter trimester of the pregnancy. Its purpose is to give the mother-to-be ample time to carry the pregnancy to full term and deliver the baby safely. This reason lasts roughly 90 to 30 days, depending on the situation.
• Illness. Some illnesses may also warrant some time off. For example, fever, stomach pain, sore throat, flue, or family member’s illness falls into reasonable excuses to work from home.
• Personal Reasons. A range of personal reasons may also inform the need to work from home. These could take the forms of longer commute hours, inability to get along with some workmates, and the need to attend to other vital chores in the meantime. They have to be specified in the letter for the avoidance of doubt.
• Accidents. Accidents are naturally bound to happen. If and when they do arise, they may often impact the workers so severely to prevent them from attending to the chores smoothly. This, again, may necessitate the detachment from routine office work and hours. Working from home makes more sense under these circumstances.

It is one thing to ask for this permission and another thing to get it all together. A line manager will naturally be worried about certain issues while determining whether to grant this permission or not. You have to anticipate and assure him/her that you will be able to stand taller to them. Below are some of the common concerns of a line manager and how you might convince him of the same:

• Information Security. Some managers will usually be worried about the confidentiality of the company information you will handle while away. Be sure to let them know that you will not share their secrets with rivals or spill them via your social media networks.
• Productivity Levels. Whether you choose to work from home or not, you have to hit the necessary targets and guarantee the required levels of productivity. Find a way of convincing your line manager that your detachment from the regular office will not in any way compromise your productivity.
• Collaboration and Teamwork. To be able to do your part, you will no doubt have to collaborate with the other workers. What steps are you going to take to achieve this end? Make it understandable for the line manager and prepare appropriately for the same.
• Reachability. If a member of your team wants to reach you, what steps will he or she have to take? Share your contact details. If you happen to change them after that, be sure to let the team members know about them well in advance and make any necessary arrangements to that end. Also, ensure your employer that you will be active and completely reachable during office hours.
• Long-term Reliability. Just in case you want to work from home indefinitely, how reliable shall you be? Do you, for instance, have or plan to set up a home office? What about reliable internet access? And do you have a dedicated telephone line or phone number to be easily accessible?

Note that asking for this permission in and of itself does not guarantee positive feedback. The line manager or employer will still have to review and weigh the request before deciding whether to grant permission or not. Be ready hence to fight for it typically by furnishing more details or arguing your case later.

As a way to get around this issue, we opine that you draft the letter in such a way as to assure the employer of the benefits that such an approach is likely to bring to him/her (the employer) rather than to you (the employee).