Home working

[Dave The Rave]

Who does work from home? How do you like it?

I have been working from home almost 12 months and I HATE IT! The benefit of travelling to/from work does not off set the facts:

1) I am working longer hours.
2) I feel isolated from my team and things that would take 5 minutes take hours.
3) I feel I never stop working. I always answer the phone (even after I finished for a day).
4) I cannot sit in my car or on the bike after the day at the office knowing it's over for next few hours.
5) My wife thinks I can do those little jobs around the house as I am "at home" all day.

I simply cannot do it much longer. I am :puker: of it now.

Rant over.

[Kate Moss]

and breathe!

[Luckypants]

Who does work from home? How do you like it?

I have been working from home almost 12 months and I HATE IT! The benefit of travelling to/from work does not off set the facts:

1) I am working longer hours. Then Stop - be strict with yourself.
2) I feel isolated from my team and things that would take 5 minutes take hours. Hmmm, I use messenger / email / phone extensively and feel part of the team. My company has a remote working ethos, with many widely scattered teams. I have to be pro-active in finding stuff out and getting things done, which is a good thing as it makes me appear like I'm keen! ;)
3) I feel I never stop working. I always answer the phone (even after I finished for a day). Do you have a business line? Get a separate phone for work and switch it to answer phone at end of the day. Again be strict with yourself.
4) I cannot sit in my car or on the bike after the day at the office knowing it's over for next few hours. I walk my dogs immediately after finishing for the day, has the same effect. ;)
5) My wife thinks I can do those little jobs around the house as I am "at home" all day. Explain you are working, but can put the washing on at coffee / lunch time. You are not 'messing about on the computer' but doing a real job that helps pay the bills.

I simply cannot do it much longer. I am :puker: of it now.

Rant over.

I have worked from home for past 4.5 years and still like it. I understand the points you raise above and have noted how I deal with them. I think the biggest problem is not being part of the 'water cooler gossip' where useful work and non-work related information is casually swapped... it's amazing how much information you get in an impromptu fashion like that - you only notice it when it's gone.

I also think company ethos helps with how feel, my company has a 'global team' model which works well for me. They are also very positive towards remote and / or home working - it means they can shut offices and save cash.

[Pedro68]

Dave, I don't do this yet - but could well be "working from home" for a couple of days per week soon.

Do you have a "dedicated office" at home? If so, get a dedicated phone line in there, and when you've finished for the day, divert all incoming calls to voicemail.

If it makes you feel any better, go out for a ride/drive in rush-hour traffic before and after each "working day" ... it might make you feel more like a part of "the rat race".

Ask the missus if she can go do the shopping during her work day and tell her that you are at home TO WORK.

That's my advice anyway ;-)

Cheers,
Pete

EDIT: LP beat me to it. So ... wot e sed ;-)

[Dave The Rave]

Some good points raised there guys. Yes I have an office, but as I moved house (2 months ago), had a new baby (1 month ago) I still work from a different room. So this may help when fully set up.

I have a work mobile. Not a land line. On 24/7 (even so it does not have to be).

I think the "water cooler gang" exclusion is something I never though about, but has a big impact.

I think I will keep looking elsewhere, but will do some changes to try to make me feel better.

[Ceri JC]

I WAH most of the time. I don't find the isolation a problem, in fact, I like it; it's particularly useful when working on complex problems you need to concentrate on. I used to hate being in the middle of working something out in my head and then someone comes up and talks to you and you have to start again from scratch. I find I have to go out and socialise in the evenings/weekends a lot more than I did to stop myself climbing up the walls. I find it really hard not to work longer hours too, especially if my gf isn't coming in till 6-6.30, so I'd only have an hour's at most dead time. It's too tempting just to work on.

I think the main reason I like it so much is the plus sides:
Lots of nice walks at lunchtime, even the possibility of quick rides.
Get more chores done (that would otherwise take up the weekend).
Lots of saved cash; I make about £10 every time I go into the office on petrol, rather than spending £10 a day on commuting.
Currently typing this in my boxers and dressing gown and about to spend my lunch hour playing computer games. :D

[Mike2165]

Rather than go to the expense of a new line, it might work out cheaper to use skype, who can issue a number, then turn the pc off when you've finished work. I know the problems of a wife who thinks you can do jobs while working, it's not easy trying to please everyone, but work pays the bills.

[600+]

I WFH 3 days a week and have to to go in the office for 2 days a week.

While at home I only work the contracted hours but keep my phone on if somebody needs me for an emergency. Laptop screen shuts down and doesn't get looked at till the next day.

I get to do a lot of chores as well and lunch time is always a good time to take the dog out for a run.

It all has to do with discipline and setting expectations. I say that while I'm working nobody bothers me same as if I am in the office. If they like it then that's fine if not TOUGH!

[Blue Flame]

I am Home Start which means that I work from home unless I am going out on site or to a meeting.

I am OK for a wee while however if you are not carefull you can get a bit stir crazy with the lack of face to face social interaction so i make a point of going in to the office if I have been at home for about a couple of weeks solid.

There is a danger of overworking because of snidey comments. 'Sorry to disturb your daytime telly but can you help me with this' is a common joke that whilst you know it is said in jest, the back of your mind makes you think that they have some sort of low opinion of the level of work you are actually doing. It seems like I do even more just to reinforce it to everybody. That is dangerous and I have to force myself to stop at a suitable time.

What i do find however is that now.... when I am actually sitting in an office.... it takes me ages to get into my stride because there is so much noise compared to the quiet study at home :rolleyes:. Usually end up just leaving the bigger stuff till I get home which just gets me back into the working longer hours loop.

All that having been said. Every time I go into the office I sit for an hour and half in the car jams watching everybody with their road rage issues and think. "This is why I wanted to work from home" :rolleyes:

I am quite happy with the arrangement and would miss it if it all stopped and I had to 9-5 it in an office.