When and how to request work-from-home options from an employer

If you want the flexibility of working from home in your next job, here’s how to tactfully raise it with your prospective employer.

CAREERS’ panel of expert recruiters answers a reader’s question each week. Have a question? Email [e-mail]

At what stage in the job process should you raise the prospect of work-from-home options?

Lisa Morris

Director,

Hays

If your role is one that can be conducted remotely, our advice is to first broach the subject with your recruiter. They’ll be able to provide you with insight on the organisation’s current approach to flexible working. Then, when it comes time for your interview, raise the subject in person with the hiring manager. Wait until towards the end of your interview, when you are asked if you have any questions of your own. Try to be subtle – rather than asking directly if you could work from home, perhaps firstly ask whether any staff currently work remotely and, if so, how the arrangement works in practice. If the answer is favourable, you could then ask if the role you are interviewing for is eligible for remote working after a period of time too.

Lisa Morris says recruiters can provide insight into an organisation’s approach to flexible work.

Megan Nicholson

General manager

Entree Recruitment

Working from home has become the new normal with so many people being asked to work from home in the past 15 months. Most people have found it really works for them and it is estimated that 90 per cent of Australians want to keep working from home post-Covid pandemic in some sort of capacity. The majority of people are asking about work-from-home options during the initial first conversation or at the interview stage. Most employers, depending on the nature of the role, are open to discussing how this can work for both the employee and employer.

Megan Nicholson says work-from-home options can be discussed at the initial conversation.

Andrew Sullivan

Managing director,

Sullivan Consulting

It is better to raise the prospect sooner rather than later, as you do not want to feel trapped in a position that does not suit your lifestyle. The ideal time would be during the interview stage of the recruitment process, as recruiters and employers will often give you the chance to ask them questions during this stage. You could also ask how the business responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, as many companies began introducing flexible working options in response and continue to offer flexibility in some capacity.

Andrew Sullivan says a good time to ask about work-from-home options is at the end of a job interview.

Alexandra Rosser

Head of Organisational Psychology Consulting,

Stillwell Management Consultants

If you are looking to work from home (WFH) exclusively, you should search for jobs which state this as an option in their advertisement. Even if looking to WFH for part of your week, you are still encouraged to look at organisations and advertisements that use terms such as “flexible”, “family-friendly” or say that they offer “hybrid” working arrangements. Otherwise, wait until you have progressed to the interview stage and raise it when asked if you have any questions. Given the impact of Covid-19 on how we work, many employers will be expecting this topic to be discussed and may even raise it themselves.

Alexandra Rosser says jobseekers may be able to get an idea of an employer’s acceptance of work-from-home options when reading the job advertisement.

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Originally published as When and how to request work-from-home options from an employer