Pros and cons of working at home

[NewWaveChick1981]

As you know, I'm going to be starting a new job on Dec. 4. :woohoo: It is at a college in an office. Right now, my office is in my basement and has been for the past year when I switched jobs. At first, I was so happy to be able to work from home---but it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Good things about being home-based:

*Getting up in the morning and "commuting" to work downstairs in my bathrobe
*Being able to take care of laundry while I have staff meetings, etc.
*No commuting expenses
*Getting to travel to some pretty cool destinations


Bad things about being home-based:

*Feelings of isolation. I was used to seeing people all the time, not just when I had appointments. It's hard to adjust to being alone (or semi-alone) all day.
*My freelance artist husband thinks it's ok to just walk downstairs and ask me questions (silly, serious, or otherwise) at any given time. Never mind that I'm trying to concentrate on something or talking on the phone with my boss or an actual client. :eyes: We've had "discussions" about this, and it's better, but it's not ideal.
*I can never leave work "at work". :( It's here all the time.
*Because my office is so convenient, people I work with expect me to be "on call" pretty much all the time. If my office phone rings after 6 PM or before 8 AM, it's gonna go to voice mail, assholes. :eyes: Yeah, the company I work for has a big motto they are all proud of: "Work/Life Balance!" Well, their idea of "balance" is having your office at home. What more do ya want, paean????
*My hours can be very irregular, especially while traveling. I might have to get to the airport at 4:30 AM to catch a 6 AM flight and not get to sleep again until midnight. Some weeks I put in 30 hours a week, other weeks it's 80-90 hours a week.
*Traveling to some really uncool destinations. I've been to schools that are an hour from everything else---they're literally in the middle of nowhere. :yoiks:

If you currently work at home, you might have some or all of these issues. If you don't and are thinking about taking a job that will allow you to have your office at home, please keep this in mind. There are plenty of people who are successful at being home-based, and to you, I tip my hat! :) But there are a lot of pitfalls too.

[seemunkee]

1. Had a cabinet shop in my basement for 5 years

Having lunch with the wife and kids was great but never getting to leave work is tough.
When the kids went to bed I was back in the shop either doing quiet benchwork or paper work.

[NewWaveChick1981]

2. I hear ya, seemunkee!

:hug: It's nice in some ways but really sucks in others.

[Ariana Celeste]

3. I may actually get a chance to work from home soon...

I am a serious introvert so being by myself is -good-.

My MIL has been here for the last week- and after hanging out with us, and seeing her friends, and because she has hated FL since she first started living there- she wants to move back up here. And her SO has his own business that he can take with him up here- and he needs a secretary. :). My MIL doesn't wanna do it and she's been talking to him about it, and they may even give me a little work before they even move up here. This is still just being talked about between the three of us, but if it works out (and there's a pretty good chance it will) then that would be freaking sweet! Being able to work at home, and getting some experience I can use in looking for jobs in the future- I'm excited! I didn't finish high school and haven't had a chance (yet!) to further my education, so this would be very good for me.

[Patiod]

4. One benefit of going into an office: no cats

When I work at home, the cat makes a point of sitting right on my materials, knocking things from desk to floor, curling up on lap when I need to work. She thinks I'm home specifically to pay attention to the cat.

[flvegan]

5. I've put all my job resources online and work from home because of it.

I can feel you on most of those (except the travel). I also don't have anyone poking in during the day, outside of multiple dogs. That, however, is a unique challenge. I have to try to time calls around when the mailman arrives, so as to not have barking over the phone.

[pdx_prog]

6. I did my own engineering consulting

out of my house. Quite frankyly, it was the worse job I ever had. I had retired neighbors that liked to walk by and say hello.....my friends who were dependantly wealthy thought they could come by and see me anytime they wanted. I always got stuck taking the kids to doctor appointments, etc....

I loved doing the work, but I didn't like all of the other tasks involved with it.

[Taverner]

7. Another good thing about being home based

You get to work nekkid

[NewWaveChick1981]

10. True. I forgot to mention that pro.

:evilgrin: :hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

8. You summed up my experience with it.

For me, the 'never leave work' part was corrected by pretending that the 'office' was locked after dinner and all day Sunday. The lack of social interaction was the hardest part for me.

[blogslut]

9. I don't mind the isolation thing

I worked in the service industries for roughly 20 years. It's kind of neat to deal with people when I want to instead of because I have to. Now, going out amongst the fray is rather pleasant.

[SeattleGirl]

11. Been working from home for almost 5 years, and I love it.

My cats and the dog are my "office mates", but they don't bug me. I do not work in my jammies (or nekkid); I get up, shower, do hair and make-up and get dressed, just as I did when I worked in an outside office. I don't answer the home phone while I'm working; voice mail picks that up. I have a personal cell phone and if family or friends need to reach me during the day (which is rare), they know to call me on the cell. My work phone is also a cell phone, and when I'm done for the day, I turn it off. I do have to go out and meet with clients, attorneys, doctors, etc., so I'm not completely isolated. I also do my work IN my office; when I'm done, I leave the office. So, I created psychological as well as physical boundaries, which I think is very important when you work from home.

I know that working from home is not for everyone (and of course, many jobs cannot be done from home). It does work well for me, and I really do love it.

[Dukkha]

12. I was once a work at home web designer

best job ever!

for all the above mentioned reasons. I managed my time real well and maintained a good work schedule and always had weekends and evenings free. I did work long hours at times to cram my monthly assignments so I could leave on a trip. a nice option to have. During the winter I felt enclosed with cabin fever so I joined a gym and that got me out a lot and kept me in shape.

The downside was I got paid once a month from an international wire transfer that was unreliable and got lost a few times. I got hired on the phone and did all correspondence through email and a few phone calls. I never met anyone in the company or my boss.

[LuLu550]

13. Freelance writer..my worst working at home story

I was interviewing the county executive for a story I was writing when my then-three-year-old daughter "had to go potty."

I put her on the toilet and went into my office in the next room.

She finished her "business" and began calling me to "come in and wipe" her. Not wanting to stop the interview until I had gotten the information I needed for the story I had to file within a few hours, I ignored her and kept talking to him, convinced he could not hear her in the next room.

Well, the upshot was she kept getting louder and louder yelling

"MOMMY, I FINISHED POOPING, PLEASE COME WIPE ME!"

until the county exec told me I had better go and take care of her.

I never could look him in the face after that.

[ZombieNixon]

14. I can't connect to the work server from my dorm and I don't know why!

x(