Q & A Table of Contents
It Doesn't Compute
From: John in New Jersey
Question: How can I get my employer to lease a laptop computer for me? Our
computer system is not PC based and most of our management and sales
team have laptops. I can't be as productive as I'd like to be with our
current office tools but I'm having a hard time getting them to
commit. This does not stop them from asking me to do things that they know
I can only do at home on my home PC. Why should I have to use my own
equipment from home to do the work that I can't do on the office computers?
Response: Dear John,
Thanks for your question; it raises interesting problems.
How are you different from the people in your company who have laptops? Is
your job in a different area, do you lack seniority, is your need for a
computer less frequent than that of those who have them?
What does the company have to gain from leasing a computer for you? It is
easy to give a fast answer -- "I'll be more productive." Quantifying how
much your productivity will contribute could strengthen your credibility?
Have you considered how your company would respond if your home computer
were to crash? Would the company pay to fix it?
Does the company have a policy of reimbursing employees' out of pocket
expenses -- such as a mileage allowance for the use of employee-owned cars?
Is there a parallel to the company's use of your personal computer?
Who within the company makes the decisions? Have you tried to work with
them directly on the issue? Have you listened closely to their reasons for
their decisions? Have they used any words or phrases that show you a
possible opening to change their mind(s)?
If you have to move decisions up the hierarchy, can you create alliances or
turn relevant people into advisors to you and/or advocates for you?
Essentially you need to ask an awful lot of questions -- and then listen
hard to the answers. The information you derive might just provide the key
you need to open the closed door.
Good luck -- and let me know how it works out.
Steve
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