Why I love working from home

8 comments Worklife Balance

Jul 30

This week I worked from home- and was thinking about how much I value being able to be in control of what I do and when I do it.

I work in an environment where the standard hours are quite low (7 hours and 21 minutes to be exact) but I work really hard and I would rarely escape without working a 9-10 hour day (in the office and then I’ll usually log in from home). I don’t mind doing this at all- I love what I do, but without this flexibility I don’t think I would be as inclined to put in that many hours. I’m also lucky that I can choose the hours I work as long as I am there between the hours of 10am-4pm.

I heart NY

Don’t get me wrong, I really like the people I work with and am happy to be there but I adore working from home every now and again. Why?

• Because it cuts down on my travel time by about two hours a day
• I can get up and start working (I’m a morning person so this is when my brain kicks into gear- don’t ask me anything important after 5pm!)
• I can wear my pyjamas all day (yes those are the PJ’s I get around in) and be comfortable. I don’t have to worry about make-up, hair or ironing. I know that sounds a bit lame but for women, lookin this good doesn’t happen naturally!
• I can still access everything I can at work and attend webinars, online meetings and teleconference calls.
• It allows me to work in an environment that I am comfortable in
• I can play my music as loud as I want
• I can have some alone time to really concentrate on writing strategy or presentations
• I work much harder from home because I have more time, I’m comfortable and I can control the interruptions.
• I can sleep in a little bit or catch up on a bit of sleep which I find is a necessity if you’ve been killing yourself on the other days of the week
• I feel really valued by my employer and particularly my Manager because I know that they trust me and believe that I am performing well.

Actually I’m sure I wrote a paper on this in my first year of uni so I’ll try and dig it out.

Are you allowed to work from home? Do you feel guilty about working from home? What’s the best thing about working from home for you?

  • http://www.employerbility.com.au/ Kate Boorer

    The getting dressed and putting on the corporate wear and the heels is a big one. I found that by being in my tracksuit pants and sitting at my table where there is a lot of natural light and fresh air (yes no air conditioning!) gave me a huge sense of freedom.

    For those who opearate in intense roles which have high energy and mental demands, working from home one day a week allows you the chance to get some things done, but most importantly have a break from the pace so that you arrive at Friday afternoon still powering rather than feeling like you are at the end of a marathon every week.

  • http://www.employerbility.com.au Kate Boorer

    The getting dressed and putting on the corporate wear and the heels is a big one. I found that by being in my tracksuit pants and sitting at my table where there is a lot of natural light and fresh air (yes no air conditioning!) gave me a huge sense of freedom.

    For those who opearate in intense roles which have high energy and mental demands, working from home one day a week allows you the chance to get some things done, but most importantly have a break from the pace so that you arrive at Friday afternoon still powering rather than feeling like you are at the end of a marathon every week.

  • http://www.gradconnection.com.au/ Mike

    I think its important to offer that sort of Flexibility but its a hard line to draw. I find it impossible to be productive at home, and I know a few people who are the same. It is, ofcourse, harder for an employer to judge productivity from home, so I can understand why employers, especially large ones, may refrain from offering it to their entire staff.

    That being said, a smart employer works to deliverables rather than hours. If you can provide specific micro goals to your employees around work that needs to be delivered then power to you :D

    MC

  • http://www.gradconnection.com.au Mike

    I think its important to offer that sort of Flexibility but its a hard line to draw. I find it impossible to be productive at home, and I know a few people who are the same. It is, ofcourse, harder for an employer to judge productivity from home, so I can understand why employers, especially large ones, may refrain from offering it to their entire staff.

    That being said, a smart employer works to deliverables rather than hours. If you can provide specific micro goals to your employees around work that needs to be delivered then power to you :D

    MC

  • Jacqueline

    As an instructional designer for e-learning I used to work from home, however when my company started providing pink-slips to the head office staff, I thought I better get back to the office and be seen…I wasn’t on the chopping block and expect that I could have continued to work from home, but it’s good to be in the office, be seen and have others recognize you – some people thought I’d died or been sick… weird.
    Anyway, my boss is pretty great, because he lets me work from home the odd time as well. And I do find I’m much more productive at home… It’s easy to put on a load of laundry or vacuum the dog hair from the floor, and make coffee when you want, but when I did those things I felt guilty doing it during work hours, so I’d work a little longer than I would had I been in the office.
    I do miss my jammies and fuzzy slippers though…and would LOVE to not have to spend 45 minutes every day doing my hair…

  • Jacqueline

    As an instructional designer for e-learning I used to work from home, however when my company started providing pink-slips to the head office staff, I thought I better get back to the office and be seen…I wasn’t on the chopping block and expect that I could have continued to work from home, but it’s good to be in the office, be seen and have others recognize you – some people thought I’d died or been sick… weird.
    Anyway, my boss is pretty great, because he lets me work from home the odd time as well. And I do find I’m much more productive at home… It’s easy to put on a load of laundry or vacuum the dog hair from the floor, and make coffee when you want, but when I did those things I felt guilty doing it during work hours, so I’d work a little longer than I would had I been in the office.
    I do miss my jammies and fuzzy slippers though…and would LOVE to not have to spend 45 minutes every day doing my hair…

  • hrclubsyd

    Hi Jacqueline,

    I think your concerns are real for a lot of people. When you are out of sight- you think you might also be out of mind which leaves you feeling vulnerable.
    I agree its important to have human contact so that people can put a face to your name and get a feel for what sort of person you are- emails can be interpreted so many different ways!

    It’s funny actually because my HR team is all located in Melbourne and then there’s just me in Sydney- so I guess that’s why its easier for me to work from home- my boss never sees what I am doing anyway!

    Where are you based now?

  • hrclubsyd

    Hi Jacqueline,

    I think your concerns are real for a lot of people. When you are out of sight- you think you might also be out of mind which leaves you feeling vulnerable.
    I agree its important to have human contact so that people can put a face to your name and get a feel for what sort of person you are- emails can be interpreted so many different ways!

    It’s funny actually because my HR team is all located in Melbourne and then there’s just me in Sydney- so I guess that’s why its easier for me to work from home- my boss never sees what I am doing anyway!

    Where are you based now?