Making Work-At-Home Work For You

By Kevin M

There probably isn’t a soul in the workforce who hasn’t dreamed of or at least contemplated the possibility of working from home. There are many benefits to this arrangement but it’s important to understand the limitations as well.

I’ve spent a good deal of my life working from home and I strongly recommend it as a preferred work style. But I’ve also become quite familiar with both the advantages and the downsides of home basing. For years I worked from home as a mortgage loan officer. It was a natural advantage because it provided the ability to concentrate all of my efforts on serving my customers. It also forced me to learn to work independently and to identify and utilize outside sources who could enable me to do that fully.

Over time I became comfortable with the proverbial “chief cook and bottle washer” aspect of self-employment, and was able to transfer those skills to subsequent businesses, including recruiting and this weblog.

One element of work-at-home that I know to be absolutely critical above all other concerns: your contribution must add tangible value to your employers business.

Work-at-home isn’t about us nearly as much as it’s about our employers and what we can do for them through the arrangement. Never forget this.

Challenges

Before thinking that a work-at-home arrangement is an idyllic situation, it will help to consider some of the limitations. It’s been my experience that if you aren’t prepared to deal with these issues, you may need to think hard if working from home is the right course.

Isolation. Something we can easily miss in the stress of an office or shop environment is that the very people who can be so irritating at work are the same ones we rely upon for company, camaraderie and comfort. In work-at-home you’re working alone, and this can be tougher to manage than you might think, especially if you have a high social drive.

Time management. When we go off to the office there are proscribed routines and work flows. In working from home there is no structure, and one must be created immediately. Working within that self imposed structure every day is an even bigger challenge. There are distractions at the office, but there are more at home and staying on schedule can be tough.

Lack of boundaries between work and family and personal life. This is the work-at-home paradox: part of the reason we want to work at home is to achieve a better balance between work and family/personal time, but if we aren’t careful it can very well sabotage the effort. Many years ago I worked for a CPA who had her office and staff in the basement of her house. While it may have worked well for her, it was a constant distraction to the rest of us when her young kids scampered down the stairs on one of their not so infrequent trips to the office to see mom. Needless to say, it was a real problem, especially in the middle of the busy tax preparation season. Boundaries have to be established and maintained in order to avoid losing control.

Requires more discipline than working in a office. A certain amount of discipline is imposed on us as a result of working in an organized environment. In working at home we must establish priorities. Monthly, weekly and daily “to do” lists need to be created and adhered to, prioritizing the most important tasks that need to be done. When we work from home, we lose the “benefit” of being able to blame others if a job isn’t done, or done correctly.

No boss or staff to rely on in a crisis. Even with all of the marvelous technology that exists today, there’s no better feeling than having others around to rely on when a crisis hits. Sure, there’s always email or the phone, but not everyone is at their computer or phone when we need them, and we won’t be able to call a staff meeting to bounce ideas. We become a “staff of one”.

Requirements

None of these challenges are meant to keep you from working from home if that’s your preference. However, each of them should be acknowledged and prepared for.

There are different requirements for work-at-home, and not all will apply to all types of jobs. Some are skills, some are physical requirements. Some will be unique to telecommuters who work for others, some are for home based businesses.

General skills…

• Personal initiative. No boss, coworkers, agenda or work flow means you’ll need to be a self-starter in the truest sense.
• Multi-tasking skills. What ever needs to be done will be up to you, as there will generally be no staff to hand assignments off to.
• People skills. In an office you can often hide from clients, at home you may be a direct contact. Also, since you’ll be out of the main line of supervisory sight, you may need to be better at articulating what you’re doing, what you’ve accomplished and what you need in the way of resources or support.
• Organizational skills. Prioritizing will be a priority! You’ll have to learn what’s most important and focus on accomplishing those tasks first and foremost and always.
• Basic computer skills. In an office, you may be able to rely on the expertise of your boss or coworkers. But since telecommuting is heavily computer based you’ll need to be comfortable with the primary software systems your company uses, and even have some ability to maintain the hardware.
• Previous experience. Telecommuting is generally not an arrangement for entry level workers. Before an employer will turn an employee loose to work at home he will need demonstrated competence for the job that needs to be done.

Physical equipment…

• Dedicated and private work space. Since separation of work and personal lives is a necessity even when working from home, you’ll need a dedicated office space to conduct your work in. A private space where you can go to and not be disturbed by family members is highly recommended. It’s that boundaries issue.
• Necessary equipment. There may be equipment specific to your job or business that you’ll need to have, but common equipment includes a computer with common office suite software, a dedicated phone line with voice mail, a fax machine and any office furnishings that will enable you to do your job with the greatest efficiency.
• A list of contacts. Don’t go into work-at-home alone! None of us knows everything, so if you’re working from home you’ll need a list of people to contact in the event you need help, support or additional resources. The list can include various people in your company (including other home based employees) or any outside vendors who might help you accomplish your mission. You’ll need to become an expert at locating and coordinating people- and system-resources from diverse places.

Required for sales people and the self-employed…

• Sales ability. Many home based jobs are sales related, and you’re chances for success are considerably greater if you have a proven track record in sales in some capacity, even if it isn’t directly related to the product or service you’re selling.
• Marketing skills. Marketing skills will reduce reliance on pure selling, and the better you are at it, the more successful you’ll be as a sales person and especially if you’re self-employed.

It’s important to realize that work-at-home isn’t as simple as moving what it is you do each day at work to your home office. A certain combination of experience, skills and abilities can be the difference between a permanent work-at-home arrangement, and one that flames out after just a few months.