What is work from home?
A request to work from home is what employees opt for in situations where they are having trouble reaching the office. These work from home requests are a formal way of informing the head of the department or a manager that the employee is unable to attend work at the organization but is available to work while at their home.
In some cases, an employee may attend work for a few hours during office hours and continue the rest of the workday at home. While in others cases, the employee is not present at the organization for a complete day and keeps up with the office work through emails and messages.
When and who it is allowed to work from home?
There can be a number of reasons an employee may have to work from home. The biggest and most common reason to work from home is said to be due to a sick child. These days, it’s very common for both parental figures to have jobs, and in case a child is sick, then one of the parents has to stay at home to look after the child. These parents opt for work from home in order to not have the office work build up.
Similarly, an employee’s own health issues may not allow them to attend the office at the organization. For example, a sprained limb or the viral flu may result in advised bed rest from the doctor. In these cases, the employees can request work from home by contacting their manager or head of the department.
How long is it allowed?
The duration for work from home depends on the circumstances of the employee. If they are sick, the employee can provide a doctor’s note with the advised bed rest period and work from home according to the allowed time.
In some cases, an employee might be asked to at least attend work for a couple of hours during the office hours in the working week. The allowed period for work from home may also depend on the policies of the organization. However, it is always necessary for the employee to request permission for absence from work, even if they are working from home. The manager has the authority to permit or reject the request depending on the employee’s previous work performance and the workload at the office.
If the employee is absent from work without informing their head of the department or the Human Resources department, the employee may develop a bad relationship with their organization. This action can also lead to disciplinary action being taken against the employee such as deduction of salary.
Different types of work from home request emails:
There can be numerous reasons for an employee to request work from home. Below are some sample emails:
Request to work from home due to injury:
Dear ‘Name of Manager’,
Please acknowledge this email as a request for work from home.
Due to an accident yesterday ‘Date’, I suffered a back injury and sprained my ankle. I was advised of bed rest by the doctor. Therefore, I cannot attend work for the rest of the week. ‘Date’ can be assumed as my return date to work.
In the meantime, I will be available to work from home. You will find the doctor’s note attached to this email. In case you have any queries please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Name of Employee,
Name of Department.
Request to work from home due to sick family member
Dear ‘Name of Manager’,
This email is a request for work from home. As a parent of an ill child, I will be unable to attend work today, ‘Date’. However, I am able to work from home.
Please accept this request and grant me a day to work from home. You will find the doctor’s note attached to this email. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Name of Employee,
Name of Department.
More Samples
1-
Dear boss. I would like to put in a request for working from home this week as my daughter is unwell and I have to keep an eye on her. Do not worry, the quality of work will not be affected at all and I will make sure to complete all assignments in time. If you would be so kind as to grant me this request, I will be most grateful and promise to work extra hard once I am back. Thank you and I hopefully await your response.
2-
Dear ma’am, as you are already aware the past month, I have been working from home and I would like to request that I continue working from home permanently. The reason is that I am more productive and can finish work far more quickly and effectively than at the office due to the lack of distractions here. Would it be possible to continue doing it? I can show up for meetings and everything on an as-needed basis. Eagerly await a positive response. Thank you and see you.
3-
I hope you are in the best of health and enjoying your vacation. Sir, there is an important matter I would like to discuss with you. Is it possible for me to work out of the home this Friday? I will be having guests in the evening and by the time I will return from the office, it will be late, hence, they might have to wait outside for me. I would like to be present to welcome them as soon as they arrive.
I guarantee that this will not affect the quality of my work in any manner whatsoever and will submit all my assignments on time. I will be extremely grateful if you could heed my request and eagerly await your response. Thank you.
4-
Dear Sir, I hope you are well. Sir, I write this email to you with a request. I would like to work from home this week as my mother is unwell and needs someone to be in the house at all times in case there is an emergency. My father had to go abroad for a business meeting and my sister is also busy with important work, hence, they both cannot come, so I am the only one left. In case any of the work quality is affected, I will put in extra hours to make up for that. I hope that you will see the difficulty of my situation and respond in an understanding manner. Thank you.
5-
Greeting ma’am! I write this email to you with regret and a heavy heart as there has been a death in my household recently, so it will be difficult for me to come to the office tomorrow. This is why I would like to request you to please permit me to work from home for one day. I assure you that all the work will be done and sent on time. I hope you will grant my request. Thank you.