If you’re looking for remote jobs because you want to be able to travel more, start by asking your current job whether they would consider turning your job into a remote role. Having worked in HR for over 15+ years, below are some tips to help put together a business case on how you can request a remote role.

Consider your job and the company’s location

Not every job can be done remotely. If you’re a school teacher for example, you will likely need to be based in a classroom. Requesting your job to be a remote role wouldn’t necessarily work. If you have more of an office type job, requesting a remote role is more realistic. Before putting in a request, consider where your company is based and the different locations of the company. For example, if your company is only based in the US, you may not be able to legally work from a different country since your company doesn’t have legal entities abroad. If you’re company has locations outside of the US however, then you have a better chance of being able to work remotely from a different country.

Before getting into all the technicalities, let’s first focus on asking your job whether your job can be remote. Depending on your job and your company’s policy on remote work (or lack of), you might be able to turn your role into a remote role.

Check your company policy

First, check your company policy on remote work. After the pandemic, many companies developed a remote work policy which basically tells you where they stand on working from home and whether they allow it. If the policy clearly states that no remote roles are allowed (meaning all roles are to be based in an office or a mix of office and remote), then putting a business case might not work in your current company. Part of the reason policies are in place is so that there is consistency in the way things are done and not one person is giving special privileges’. If there is no policy or the policy is somewhat vague, this could definitely work to your advantage and you could put together a business case to request a remote role.

Business Case Steps

A business case in a written document outlining your request and should be discussed with your manager once finalized. Below are some key steps to include in your business case.

1. Include information on how this could benefit the team and the company. The more you make this about them versus you, the stronger your request becomes.
2. Include information to support that effectiveness in your role does not require a regular physical presence. Most meetings can be done virtually or through video calls. If your company prefers in person interaction, emphasize how meetings can still be successfully done through video calls in a remote job.
3. If you manage people and your team is based in different locations, include this in your request as that can also work to your benefit. A team that is all based in one location will be more difficult for a company to approve as they would likely want the Manager to be based in the office along with the team.
4. Include your recent accomplishments, performance, etc. If you’re a high performer, include this information in your request. Companies don’t want to lose good people and will sometimes try to work with you in order to keep you in the company.
5. Add any data supporting the benefits of working remotely.

If you think your company will never go for a fully remote job, propose a week every month or two weeks every three months. While this isn’t common, you never know unless you ask. If you are a high performer in your company, many times your manager or company is willing to work with you in order to not lose you. Depending on your relationship with your manager, you could mention how you need a change of environment and request to have more flexibility to work remotely a week or two every couple of months. While it’s not a “remote job”, the flexibility to work remotely and potentially travel during that time is definitely worth it.

And if you asked your company and they said no or you know you have a role that cannot be done remotely, consider applying to jobs that can be done remotely. This might mean working in something brand new. It might mean seeing what skills you have that are transferrable to another job. If traveling is something you really want, having flexibility with the type of role you’re open to will be super valuable.