Working from home: is it (honestly) working?
Words By Nuance’s Emma Heath details the trials and tribulations of running her copywriting agency when working from home.
I’ve been working at home on and off ever since I started my business six years ago – and in that time, I reckon I’ve become pretty well acquainted with both the up and down sides.
And yes, I did say downsides. Because in spite of all the major advantages (a 30-second commute and a PJ-friendly dress code to name a few) working from a ‘home office’ does present a few, quite unique challenges – things that can catch the uninitiated quite unaware.
As it might seem appealing, there are times working from home does not work. There are times your employer might have very good reason to balk at your request to ‘do a few hours remotely’ (even though you cannot fathom what they may be).
Working from home for me and my team – is reserved for jobs that require uninterrupted concentration, and will be done to a better standard outside the office because of this lack of interruption. The job needs to be completed as agreed or next time or there is no point in trying the whole experiment again. It works well when these rules are set & agreed upfront
As someone who started their own business working from home over a year ago now, this is so bang on.
Spot on.
* Must have an organised work place.
* Must have good hardware, back-ups, and communications.
* Must be able to isolate when needed.
* Forget working set hours – work when the work is there, then refresh your mind and body. Don’t have a set ‘work pattern’.
* You will truly learn than ideas and inspiration often come when you are not at your desk and not ‘at work’ … write them down. quickly (for me it is on the ride-on mower or tractor quite a lot)
* Flexibility is key, patience is rewarded.
… and proof-read.
That second to last point should have read “You will truly learn that ideas…”
‘Must have good hardware, back-ups, and communications.’ ??? Erm: G Suite? Work from anywhere.
The author forgot to mention another office in the house: boggage.
In terms of WFH: each to their own. I am out on the road facing clients a lot and enjoy the interaction. I get bored wfh too much, however my employer allows me to wfh pretty much whenever I want to. TRUST is the keyword, when it comes to allowing employees to wfh. Hire the right people in the ifrst place and you will never need to second guess whether your staff are working; they will be.
KPI’s based on outcomes and not the clock is critical.
Peace
It works beautifully for me. Some people get too isolated though, and need a “family” of colleagues around them.
Working from an office leads to even less productivity. If one more person asks me how to use the printer…..
… is it honestly journalism
The reality is, we all need to get better at working productively wherever we are in the world. The office of the future is wherever you are with your phone.
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS PLEASE
I found I had to set boundaries about what was “work” and what was “home life” time. I got to the point where if I wasn’t checking my emails when I had a cup of coffee (either at 6am or 9pm) I would feel guilty. You have to allow yourself some time when you are not in “should be working” mode. If you loose some potential work time, trying to make it up can feel like you are constantly chasing your tail, just let it go and try again the next day.