Especially in this challenging time, working from home is the "normal" way of working for many companies worldwide. Write a work from home (WFH) request form for your company by following our simple instructions or, if you want a faster solution or some inspiration, download our template for free.
In the last years, working from home has been an issue many companies had to confront. For some employees, working from home is still the only possible way to keep their jobs. Companies need to address a wide range of work from home options, from a permanent solution for some employees to a rare event for others. Therefore, having a well-structured WFH request form helps them keep the situation under control and have accurate records of each employee's case.
Contents
When asking to WFH from your manager, the WFH request form/email should include important information about the employee, the type of WFH requested, how long WFH will last, and a short description. Check out the following steps to write a WFH request form:
Note: If you are looking for tips on how to be productive working from home, we have a guide with 20 best-practices for you.
If you want a paperless office and your employees' well-organized records, we recommend you to consider LeaveBoard. Using our employee self-service, the employees submit any type of requests from anywhere and using any device. All persons involved are automatically notified by email, and the employee receives a response very fast. Sounds good? That's more! LeaveBoard is entirely free for businesses with less than nine employees.
What are you waiting for? Register for an account and boost the efficiency and performance of your team with our web-based HR app.
When you're looking for a sample letter, form or application to request for request work from home or remote work, we have an example you can customize according to your needs. Just download the Microsoft word template, fill it with your data and submit the request to your manager.
If working from home is an occasional event in your company, you probably don’t need a form for this. You can allow employees to request WFH time by emailing their manager. However, instruct employees to write comprehensive emails, in which to provide all important information. You can download our WFH request via email templates, or can just copy-paste them. Don't forget to customize them according to your specific case, and re-read before sending.
Since there are many reasons that can motivate an employee to request work from home, in the following lines, we will cover the following email examples:
Subject line: Request to work from home
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’d like to request the ability to work from home starting with [date]. Due to [COVID pandemic],[personal reasons]/[illness]/[family problems]/[inability to come to the office] I am forced to work from home for an undetermined period.
I have all the technical conditions to maintain my level of productivity while working from home. I’ll keep my regular work hours, [from … to … ]. Also, I’ll have access to my work email and mobile phone and I’ll be able to attend meetings as usual.
As soon as the reasons behind my request are no longer active, I’ll return to the office.
Thank you for considering this request. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject line: Request to work from home for one day
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’d like to request the ability to work from home for one day, [date], due to [personal reasons]/[illness]/[family problems]/[inability to come to the office].
I’m working on the [current task] and I assure you I can maintain my level of productivity while working from home. I’ll keep my regular work hours, [from … to … ]. Also, I’ll have access to my work email and mobile phone and I’ll be able to attend meetings as usual.
Thank you for considering this request. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject line: Request to work from home due to illness
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’d like to request the ability to work from home for today.
I am not feeling that well enough to be able to go to the office. I have been to a doctor this morning and I am on medication now for cough, headache, and mild fever.
Due to the heavy workload, I've decided to write this email and to spend time from home managing the work today. I will probably be better by tomorrow and looking forward to being back at the office.
Thank you for considering this request to work from home today. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Subject line: Request to work from home due to childcare
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this email as the follow-up of the dialogue we had on [Add date here], regarding my request to work from home during the current pandemic conditions.
These days, my children will not attend school as a result of the pandemic, so I am required to watch over them.
My request is to work from home until the current pandemic situation is stabilized. I believe that my role and tasks allow me to do this effectively without diminishing my productivity levels.
I am not feeling that well enough to be able to go to the office. I have been to a doctor this morning and I am on medication now for cough, headache, and mild fever.
In this way, the risk of spreading the virus within the office will also be reduced.
Thank you for considering this request to work from home. I would appreciate it if you can confirm in an email my request, so I can finalize my arrangements.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
Subject line: Request to work from home due to Car repairs / Transportation problems
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm writing you to ask permission to work from home for the [next 3 days].
My car is currently in service for some maintenance and repairs. I have been traveling to the office using public transport; however, it's not the most effective way, as it takes me one hour and a half to arrive at the office. Such long commuting is time-consuming and exhausting.
Considering the situation mentioned above, I would appreciate your approval for working from home these days.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
Subject line: Request to work from home due to Public Transportation Strike
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm writing you to ask permission to work from home tomorrow.
As you know I don't have a car, and as it was announced there will be a strike the entire day within the public Transportation. As I'm using the metro service to arrive at the office, this will not be possible for me tomorrow; however, I will be online during working hours, focusing on [Task a and b], answering emails, and answering any calls that might arrive.
I would appreciate your approval for my request to work from home.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
Subject line: Request to work from home due to Lockdown
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this email as the follow-up of the dialogue we had on [Add date here] regarding my request to work from home during the current pandemic conditions.
I am proposing that I work from home starting today until the lockdown situation is stabilized. I believe that my role and tasks allow me to do this effectively without diminishing my productivity levels.
I have all the technical conditions to maintain my level of focus while working from home. I’ll keep my regular work hours, [from … to … ]. Also, I’ll have access to my work email and mobile phone, and I’ll be able to attend meetings virtually.
As soon as the lockdown restrictions are no longer active, I’ll return to the office.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my request. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
Subject line: Letter of intent to return to work
Dear [Supervisor name],
I am writing this email to inform you that I am ready to return to work from the office on [Add date]. As you know, I was on working for home due to the pandemic starting [add date].
I intend to be back five days in the office per week as previously. Once again, thank you for approving my request to WFH during the lockdown.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
If you would like to track when your employees are working remotely and when they are sick or away for vacation, we recommend that you implement within your business a cloud-based HR solution that helps with ensuring continuity within your business. Your workforce will have access to employee portals, from where they can request remote days with few clicks. Moreover, with each request, an automatic email is being sent to the manager for approval, the entry is added to the Outlook 365 calendar. Give it a try today.
As a manager you want to know how to plan work across the team or department, and who are the people you can rely on an urgent situation. The shared attendance calendar from LeaveBoard provides an up to date big picture view, where you ca see when your employees will be in vacation, and when they will be working from home.
Automate your employee information management with the easy to use core HR software.
Easy set-up ● No contracts required ● No credit cards