From the Vault: Working from Home – TPW490

This week we're revisiting an episode from the TPW archives in which I talk about some of the challenges of working from home--and some solutions for them.

Working from home can have its advantages but there needs to be a balance

There are lots of people working from home 

In a 2014 article, Global Workplace Analytics, a San Diego-based research firm, was cited as saying that 2.8 million self-employed Americans work from home, while another 3.3 million workers consider their homes their primary workplace, even though many of their employers have corporate offices. 

"Nearly half of the workforce now holds a job that could be performed, at least some of the time, from home or a 'third place' such as a coffee shop, library or park bench," says Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics.”

The numbers have grown in the 10 years since that article was published. More recently, the Pew Research Center released statistics that "around 22 million employed adults (aged 18 and over) in the U.S. work from home all the time, equal to roughly 14% of all employed adults."

Lots of experts expect working from home to grow. One article cited as reasons “a mix of mobile devices, worsening traffic, rising prices in big cities, the ability to monitor someone’s performance remotely, or through technology.”

Modes of working from home 

* Part-time/full-time

* That is, part-time at home, part-time in an office OR

* Working exclusively from home, but part-time or full-time

* Remote working for a local or distant company

* Operating your own business from home

 Benefits of working from home 

* No more commute! 

* No interruptions from people stopping in at your office 

* More time with the people (or pets) you care about 

* Flexible schedule 

* Absolute control over your workspace 

* Saved expenses -- clothing, lunches out, etc. 

* Comfort -- can dress as you choose

Challenges of working from home 

* Isolation/loneliness 

* Play music - Focus@Will; stereo in your office playing your own music; I use my Echo Dot to play either classical or instrumental jazz, depending on my mood 

* Schedule times to connect with others 

* Join a carefully chosen organization--maybe a local one--to meet people. Especially valuable if you’re in a new-to-you area. 

* “Out of sight, out of mind” -- harder to connect with colleagues or get the positive attention of supervisors/bosses/etc. 

* No colleagues down the hall to pick their brains 

* Chat tools like Slack or Teams

* Video conferencing tools like Zoom or Skype 

* Less support people and tech -- if you’re used to having IT and secretarial support . . . 

* Household chores & distractions 

* Lack of boundaries between work and non-work 

* Fewer opportunities to network, if that’s an important part of your career/business 

* Less external motivation (nobody’s watching . . .) 

* Extra expenses (unless your company provides) - supplies, equipment, internet, postage, etc.

Guidelines/“best practices”

Set aside a place designated for your work/business. If you can close a door on it, even better. That doesn’t mean you can’t work elsewhere--when I ne...