How to Choose the Best Days to Work From Home

Hybrid working might be the future, but how should it be organized? Should companies let their employees choose which days they come into the office? If employees do get a choice, they need a strategy to increase their visibility and reduce stress. This article provides a few ideas on the best days employees should work from home.

Monday

This day isn’t a good choice for many people. Many people drink over the weekend, so they might be too hungover to come into the office on Monday. Also, telecommuting on Monday can make it appear that employees are trying to take a three-day weekend. This might make company executives worry that their employees aren’t going to be very productive on Monday.

Tuesday

Working from home on Tuesday isn’t ideal because splits the workweek into two unequal parts, which some people may not like. In addition, Tuesdays seem like another day that employees could choose to work from home.

Wednesday

Wednesday could be a good day to work from home. According to one article, employees at one company who worked from home on Wednesdays improved their work-life balance, while at the same staying productive and keeping the business on a path for positive growth.

Another employee successfully negotiated a schedule that allowed her to work from home on Wednesdays so she didn’t have to commute one day a week. She chose Wednesday because it helps her break up the week. Although she was working, she worked fewer hours on Wednesday.

Thursday

Choosing Thursday divides the week in a similar way to Tuesday, but doesn’t seem to be a better day to work from home than Tuesday. This is because people might avoid commuting on Thursday and have to do it again on Friday.

Friday

Just like Monday, this is too suspicious of a choice. Your manager might call you and hear sounds of the beach and golf course in the background, confirming his suspicion that you’re taking a three-day weekend.

How to pick the best days to work from home.

• Know when you’re most productive. If you’re not someone who drinks on the weekend, your most productive day might be Monday.

• If you’re productive every day and you live close enough to work, you might work with your manager to work from home a little bit every day.
• Determine which days work best for your schedule. Choosing a midweek telecommuting schedule shows your boss that you’re serious about putting in a hard effort at the beginning and end of the week.

• Research the telecommuting history at your company. Has anyone done it successfully? If so, use that past success to persuade your boss to let you telecommute.
• Schedule time to meet with your boss. Prepare for the meeting and be ready to provide a detailed plan. Explain specifically how you’ll handle your projects remotely, and prepare for any questions your boss might ask you.
• Depending on how many days you want to telecommute, make a visibility plan where you show your boss how you’ll stay a visible part of your team.
• Make a list of ways your telecommuting arrangement will benefit your boss and your team and share it with them.

Conclusion

There are certain days that could be better for working from home. However, it’s also going to depend on what days you feel you can be more productive from home. In order to make working from home work for you, you need to know your most productive days or times of day, and work with your boss to find a schedule that will work for both of you. If you can do this, you'll get more done in less time and save your company money.