My decision to switch to working at home from the corporate life brought on many challenges as much as it brought on advantages. While the commute is shorter (literally a few steps) and the overhead is smaller, there are some things that are important in optimizing your work that are amiss. Even as simple as the right chair and table is important in making work easy and organized, so creating the ideal perfect home office is a big priority.
Working from home is often designated as telecommuting, and it has many advantages for one’s working life. Not only is it convenient, saving on time spent commuting to an office and the associated costs for a business owner, it also cuts the owner’s expensive office overheads such as rent and additional related bills. As a permanent arrangement, it’s good for the boss and the employee.
Other benefits for the employee looking to work at home include the ability to control the day’s workload and the flexibility to balance family and work commitments. Working families often have different working patterns so the ability to fit them around each other comfortably can be a great boost to productivity for the employee and promote a happy family home as well.
Sure it’s cute, but in real life this can turn into the tragic loss of either files or time or both
It’s not necessarily all perfect harmony, of course. Downsides include distractions and disruptions when busy family life intrudes, as it always will. The key is to get the home office organized so that those inevitable disruptions are minimized. Working at the kitchen table is not a good plan, nor is working in any shared space – particularly if children are in the home. The solution is to create a new space that will be welcoming for work so that one can be productive, comfortable and uninterrupted.
Creating new office space
A study or den may be easily identified as a great place for a home office. They are generally considered to be quieter areas where the adult, or adults, can work without distraction. If no areas such as these are available in the home then it’s perfectly possible to screen off an area in a larger room. This can work well but it will depend on how the family – or indeed another co-worker – operates.
Lighting and windows can do so much for your space
Dividing space is never easy and when working with a partner or spouse there usually needs to be some separation, especially when each worker is doing different things. One solution is to create the right atmosphere and make a bright space, attractive in terms of its light and its furnishings, making a positive contribution to a working environment that is conducive to high productivity.
It’s hard to deny that many offices with a lot of people working in them can be depressing places where people are competing against each other in circumstances that do not necessarily reward productivity. The home office solution is ideal for people who are passionate and committed to their work, allowing them also to enjoy the benefits that home working through technological advances have made possible.
People working in a comfortable environment are often far more productive than those shoehorned into a corporate setting. By setting up a home office that allows in light and is airy and uncluttered an employee can have control of the environment and organize furniture and other essential accessories for work.
In the end, the decision is a bargain between the employee and management. Management will get a real bargain by encouraging home working. If it is an option that is available to you, take it. You will get a kick out of designing your space and experience big practical perks of working from home both for you and for your company.
Do you have tips on working from home? Comment below or tweet us @mscareergirl!
