Working From Home: Combining Convenience With Competency
Apr. 18, 2006
While the trend of globalisation, manifested in the growing number of communication tools available to us today, brings us closer together in many ways, it also brings to our attention the diversity that exists within the global community, and nowhere is this more apparent than in our professional lives. In decades past, the working day began at the same time for most people, and played itself out in remarkably similar environments. These days, however, things are different, as new employment opportunities arise to match the wide variety of working preferences felt by a wide variety of employees. More than ever, we strive to find the employment that will best foster balance in our lives, and with issues of health, family and recreation gaining ground, many of us seek the job that will give us the freedom to cultivate all areas of our lives, allowing us to work when and where we wish. For many of us, starting our own business is the logical step towards this freedom, and an increasing number of these businesses are operated from our very own homes.
While working from home undoubtedly presents a great number of advantages, such as allowing parents fit their work around raising children, there is little doubt that it also raises a number of issues that can be problematic. Your working environment can exert a significant influence your state of mind, productivity and professionalism, and whether you are a stay at home parent or simply want to set up on your own, your business depends upon you addressing some important issues.
The most important requirement for working from a home office is that you actually have an office. A dedicated space that allows you to physically separate your home and working life is an essential tool in making the switch from a personal to a professional mindset.
While one of the great joys of working from home is the easy proximity of all the conveniences of the homestead, this very accessibility can quickly become a liability if not carefully monitored. While parents may opt for the work at home lifestyle because of the opportunity it offers to combine home and work life, certain boundaries must be drawn to ensure the professionalism of the product or service you offer remains intact. Flexibility is a definite advantage to home working, but clients will not appreciate if your flexible working hours mean missed deadlines, or work that isn't up to standard.
Is it really possible to enjoy the benefits of working from home without compromising the quality of your work? With so many entrepreneurs returning home to establish successful enterprises, and a growing number of corporations offering telecommuting as an alternative, it certainly seems so. Here are some ways to maintain professionalism, while enjoying the conveniences of home.
Ensure that your office boundaries are respected at all times - working flexible hours does not mean that non-working family members can call on you when they wish. Establish your office as a workplace in the minds of both you and your family - once you enter this space, you are at work.
Try to keep core hours if you can - predictability helps establish a routine, which makes work more difficult to abandon to see what's in the fridge.
Our home environment offers many more distractions than a typical corporate office, and it is easy to lose sight of the task at hand when there are so many other things to be done. While carrying out household chores can recharge your concentration, try not to allow homely thing to intrude on your workspace.
Go to your home office as you would a corporate one - though you might have no appointments on a given day, the way we dress and groom ourselves can exert a significant influence on how we work, and even how we communicate by phone or email. Dress professionally and you will perform professionally also.
Being your own boss can be most difficult aspect of working from home - working for a familiar taskmaster can quickly breed contempt. Just because you are not answerable to a more senior colleague does not mean that your standards should not be maintained, or even improved. As a one-man operation you are responsible for all that occurs in your office - so don't lose your chance to work at home by allowing standards to slip.
Working from a home office is truly a privilege, and as such, it must be respected. Maintain professionalism at all times in order to make your business thrive, and to continue to enjoy the benefits of finding the way of working that is best suited to you.
