(The Payoffs and Perils of Working from Home continued) home comes in part from eliminating the distractions of coworkers and the general office hubbub. When you replace that with toddlers or adolescents, the distraction level goes off the chart. Take my recent experience as an example. North Carolina, and much of the south, was hit with an ice event this winter. I spent four days working from home at a small desk in my bedroom. Day one and two were okay, and I was feeling fairly productive. By day three I was starting to get quite claustrophobic, and by day four I was willing to ice skate to the office if I had to! What I learned was the importance of a home office. I realized that if I were to begin (continued on page 22) making it Work Although working from home might be the right setup for you or your company, there are some areas to consider when transitioning to this new work life. Here are some tips for making telework work for you. 20 HBma BIllINg • maY. juNe.2014 working from home all the time, I would have a dedicated home office with a door. The good news is even during a winter storm that shut down the entire town, our company was still working. The bad news is there are no snow days when you work from home. There are some unexpected drawbacks to working from home that people do not often consider. It requires a great deal of technological autonomy. When the printer jams or your computer will not start, for example, you are the IT department. It also requires the support of family members or cohabiters respecting the workday and the workspace. Your friends and • Carve out a dedicated home office. It is important that your workspace for the eight-hour day be just as professional as one in a corporate office. For ideas on setting up a home office in a small space, check out HgTV’s smart small spaces tips by visiting www.hgtv.com and searching “home office” in the search box. • establish your work hours for all to see. This is important for you and for your friends, family, and roommates. Hang up a sign if you need to. setting boundaries from day one is important for your long-term success. • eliminate the distractions in your home. Whether your distractions are kids, pets, loud neighbors, or the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, find a way to remove them from your workday. Noise-cancelling headphones and microphones can help your home office sound like a corporate office. There is nothing worse than being on a call with a client and hearing birds chirp, toddlers asking for attention, or a spouse snoring. • get dressed for work every day. When you get up and get dressed as though you are going into the office, your whole demeanor changes. You can wear fuzzy slippers if you want, but get out of your pajamas if you want to take yourself seriously. • make time for face time with your boss and peers. Being remote does not have to mean that you are disconnected from your company. You can meet with your team at a local coffee shop to have a quick progress checkup. go into the corporate office once a month to schedule some time with your boss. It keeps you on the radar. • recognize the limitations of Im and email communication. It is easy to misinterpret or lose context when you rely heavily on written communication. Pick up the phone and talk to your coworkers and clients. and smile while you speak. They can hear it over the phone. • reach out to others when you feel isolated. One of the great traps of the remote office is becoming a silo. a really great boss will notice your retreat, but if they do not, it can be your job that is on the line. One way to resolve this is to work from home only part time instead of full time. • make sure your to-do list aligns with that of your boss. When you are in your own world, it is easy to stay focused on your priorities. Take a minute to compare your priorities with your boss’s vision. Incorporate some of that long-term strategy into your goals. • Be aware of company culture regarding advancement. If your goal is to move up the corporate ladder and everyone who has done so works from the corporate office, rethink your attachment to your home office. also, look for staff who have been promoted while working from home for guidance. • lock the door at the end of the workday. When the day is done, and there should be an end to your workday, close the door.
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