Is your company starting ‘back to the office’ talk? Then, you better start tracking the right metrics now.

As someone in analytics/IT that has negotiated and re-negotiated WFH, the most important factor I’ve seen in these discussions is keeping your points data-driven. This means taking initiative to analyze your own productivity. Here are 3 easy metrics you can start tracking NOW:

#1. Percent of Total Collaborators in Your Office

If your company is like mine, we operate all over the world which means many of my calls were still via web chat even if I was in the office. Take your e-mails, Slack messages, phone calls, etc. ALL mediums of communication, and create a list of everyone you’ve worked with in the last 1 to 3 months. When I did this, I found that >90% of the people were located in other offices.

#2. Focus vs. Collaboration Time

In my role, a solid chunk of time is spent heads down on analysis or creating new tools. If that sounds like you, start tracking your time to determine how many hours you’re spending focusing vs. collaborating with individuals both in and outside of your office. For example, 6-8 hours of in-office meetings could be done 1-2 days/month while maintaining productivity.

#3. Total Travel Time & Expenses

If you travel for your company, here’s where you can add some $$$ to your argument. Take an average of your total hours spent traveling as well as total travel expenses from 6 months to 1 years worth of trips. Most likely, that’s a hefty chunk of change AND time that could be utilized elsewhere

Hope these tips are helpful, and if you’ve already been through negotiations like this, let me know what your tips in the comments!