Define Performance Goals

Much of the business world is based on how many hours you put in the office and just being seen rather than how much you actually get done. If you want to work from home, people will assume you're spending much of your time not working.

To get around this, come up with ways to measure your actual productivity or results. This might be the number of items completed, increasing sales numbers, or some other metric. That way, you can show you get just as much or more done from home.

Emphasize the Lack of Distractions

People think working from home means more distractions, but there can often be more distractions in an office. How many days do you not get anything done because people keep stopping by and interrupting you? How many slow days, early mornings or late nights were you working at 10 times your usual productivity? One work from home day per week could give you that quiet day boost.

Know the Obstacles and How to Overcome Them

Some jobs have a higher need to be in an office than others. This might be an everyday thing or just on occasion.

Figure out exactly what you'll be missing by not being physically present, whether that's spontaneous team meetings or access to specific resources. Then come up with a plan to get around those problems.

Focus on How the Company Benefits

Working from home might be good for you, but how does the company gain instead of just not losing anything? Will you be more productive? Will you lower their costs? Will it increase employee morale and retention?

Just like asking for a raise, you need to make the business case. Your boss might like you, but the bigger bosses are more focused on the numbers, so make sure you're speaking their language.

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