Working at home: What a great concept. Whether you’re self-employed or you telecommute instead of going into your office every day, working out of a home office has real benefits. Not having to commute is a big one. Being more independent and in charge of your schedule is another.
Whether you work for yourself or someone else you are responsible for getting your work done. Goof off, and it will catch up with you: Either you’ll stop getting a paycheck from your employer or your own billings will quickly dry up.
Success, in other words, depends very much on your own initiative. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to help motivate yourself and stay focused on the job while at home.
SETTING YOUR PARAMETERS
For many home-based workers, the chief advantage of the home office is that it lets them achieve a more equitable balance between work and family. The key word here is balance. One of your most difficult tasks will be to convince loved ones that you really are working. Unless you lay down specific ground rules and communicate these clearly, you will defeat the purpose of working at home. The same goes for friends and neighbors, who require a special set of considerations. You’ll want to make things run as smoothly in your relations with them as you do with your business associates.
When you explain your working rules to family and friends, you don’t need to be apologetic. Even the most considerate family and friends may suffer from the common misconceptions about home-based work—you’re available any time and you can drop whatever you are doing. Make it clear that you are earning your livelihood, not indulging in a hobby.
“Oh, Those Kids!”
Children have different levels of understanding depending on their ages, and whatever your children’s ages, they will need constant reminders of your rules. Provide the information appropriate to the child’s understanding, repeat it often, and update it when needed. While a three-year-old should be able to grasp the basic concept that Daddy is working, a discussion about the importance of advance scheduling for school activities or trips to the mall should be reserved for a preteen or teenager.
DON’T CUT YOURSELF OFF FROM . . .
FORMER EMPLOYERS
Just because you’re on your own now, don’t overlook your old employers. Assuming that you left your former jobs amicably and in good graces, past employers can be a gold mine of information, referrals, and actual work. Many a home-based freelancer has discovered that an old boss, who already knows your skills and capabilities, makes an excellent new client. But be aware that the relationship has changed and that the person who was your boss is now a business peer. Aim for professional accommodation when you work for an old boss—not servility. Remember, too, that your old boss may also have trouble adjusting to the new relationship, so tread carefully.
FORMER COWORKERS
You should make an effort to keep in touch with former coworkers as well. In addition to the personal benefits of maintaining friendships, you’ll find that old colleagues usually want to see your business thrive and can be valuable allies. They may be able to send opportunities your way, serve as references, and keep you informed about what’s happening in the larger business community. (Be considerate, however, of their confidentiality, and don’t expect “insider” information that is proprietary.)
Home-based workers tend to make a serious, but common, mistake in the early phase of going it alone: Unused to the solitude, they may become excessively dependent on old office friends. If your old colleagues are now clients, then treat them as you would any other client. But if your relationship is not work-related, having lunch with or calling your colleagues occasionally is fine; but it’s rude (and more than a bit needy) to call or email daily just to chat. You don’t want to transform yourself from friend to pest.
Here are some guidelines for helping you and your children adapt to a home-based work situation. Ask other family members to reinforce any rules you lay down. Spouses, grandparents, and older siblings—many adults serve as models of behavior for children. When the other adults in the family show support for your work and respect for your rules, your kids will probably follow suit.
MAKE A SCHEDULE. Since you are no longer on a strict nine-to-five schedule, you can arrange your busy times to suit your family’s needs. But being flexible doesn’t mean being totally free-form; you need structure in your workday. If two parents work at home, try to schedule work hours so that family responsibilities can be alternated. Make it absolutely clear that your work hours must be honored.
BE HONEST. Don’t make promises to children that may not be kept. Spurred by love and guilt, all working parents are quick to promise to do things “later” or “tomorrow” in order to get through the moment peacefully. Unless you’re certain you can keep your word, resist the temptation. Don’t, for example, promise to attend the school play when you have an important deadline on the same day. Children will be disappointed when you must say no, but they will be resentful when you say yes and then fail to meet your commitment.
DRESS THE PART. Although one of the perks of a home office is the end of everyday formal office wear, you may find that a businesslike appearance helps younger children distinguish between work time and playtime. If children see you in your bath robe when they leave for school and you’re still in your bathrobe when they return, they will logically conclude that you haven’t been doing much business during the day. You can assemble a work “uniform” as casual as jeans and a sweater that nevertheless signals to children that your workday has begun.
DEFINE “EMERGENCIES.” Of course, you want your children to interrupt your work when a real problem occurs. But don’t expect them instinctively to know what constitutes an emergency. A fall from the swing set does require your immediate attention—but a lost Barbie or a dirty soccer uniform does not. Be patient and explain repeatedly, especially during the early stages of your business when children are making their own adjustments to your new lifestyle.
NO TRESPASSING. Your office is an office, not a playroom. Until children are sufficiently responsible, they should probably not be allowed to enter your office unless you’re present.
DO NOT TOUCH. As a rule, do not allow children to use your business computer for homework or surfing the Internet. It’s always possible they could erase an important document or download a file that introduces a virus with disastrous results. Also put your work supplies and materials off-limits. Just about every home-based worker with children has at least one horror story of the critical meeting notes or the message with the client’s private phone number that turned up months later, glued to an art project or crumpled in a toy box.
KNOWING WHEN TO STOP
Long hours are not a reliable measure of productivity, so it’s important to know when to call it a day. If you are working at home in order to see more of your family, don’t stay cooped up in your home office all hours of the day and night. Even if you live alone, you still need time for yourself. All work and no play makes you just as dull as the corporate drone. You need R&R if you are to be effective at your work. There’s no need to give up your regular vacation, weekly round of golf or tennis, or lunching with friends; clients will come to respect your time off, knowing you’ll give them more in return if you come back relaxed and fresh.
TIP: Don’t promise yourself a future vacation while you fail to take daily breaks, don’t work when you are truly sick, and don’t give up on housework. (Your home is an extension of your office and an important part of a positive work environment, as well as a positive image for visiting clients.)
To Take Them Along?
Include your children when appropriate. It is perfectly acceptable to take your child when you make drop-off deliveries or do routine errands. It is unprofessional to bring your children to meetings with your clients or employer. And never expect busy secretaries to mind your kids while you are meeting with the boss.
When your children are mature enough, it’s fine to introduce them to clients or colleagues who are meeting at your home office. Then they should excuse themselves so you can meet in private.
PHONE HOURS
Make it clear to the people you do business with what hours you keep—you don’t want to be on call at virtually any time of day and night. By the same token, find out from individual clients what their set business hours are. If they have none, ask them to give you a time frame for calling so that you don’t risk waking them up or calling when they have something regularly scheduled.
TIP: Be sure your business number is listed in the business section of your telephone directory under your business name. Keep your residential number separate.
Children Answering the Phone
It’s important to teach your children good telephone etiquette early especially if you have a landline for your business that they can answer, too, because you never know who’s calling. Your stodgiest client will be mightily impressed when your youngster replies with a polite “Yes, sir” or “Thank you, ma’am.” Develop a simple response for your children to use when they answer your business phone: “Hello, this is Brown’s Custom Draperies. May I help you?” or “Hello, this is Richard Mazurek’s office. May I help you?”
“. . . AND THIS IS ROVER”
Pets are not usually a problem for the home-based worker unless you receive clients or customers in your home. Pet owners can be a myopic bunch when it comes to their beloved Fluffy or Spot. But not everyone loves pets, and some of your important guests may have genuine aversions to them. Allergies to pets are relatively common, and your meeting will not go well if your client is sneezing and teary.
Inform any visitors of your pet situation ahead of time, and vacuum away all pet hair before they arrive. If your dog is likely to pounce on strangers who knock at your door, keep it leashed or penned during meetings. Even better, contain the family pet outside or in the garage when clients are expected. Clients who don’t enjoy being licked, pawed, or even cuddled may be too well mannered to say so—and all too anxious to take their business elsewhere.
Pets, dogs especially, don’t have to be seen to be a nuisance. Many home-based workers conduct business via phone, conference, or video calls. A barking or yapping dog will be a disruptive and annoying intrusion to virtual meetings as well.
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE
Q. I have a home office that is off a children’s den. It’s a nice space but has no door. When family comes to visit, they are often intrusive, especially my mother-in-law who frequently busts in asking if she can print this, or if I have a stamp, or if I can her take somewhere. How do I deal with the feeling of guilt while I’m working? I often hurry to finish just so that I can take them to lunch. Should I head to a coffee shop to work? Or simply say, “I’d love to hang out, but I really have so many deadlines?”
A. In your case, the interruptions aren’t going to stop. You have no door. You have a mother-in-law who has a history of repeated interruptions. And now you have work to do.
The path of least resistance and the path that has the best chance of you getting your work done: Get out of the house.
You’ll remove yourself from the distractions of family and you can control your schedule. You can offer to go to lunch one or two days while they are visiting, but the other days can be reserved for work.
By the way, it might be a good idea to tee this up before the visit. Let everyone know you’re swamped, you’ll be working off site, and that you’ll gladly join them for lunch on Tuesday and Friday. Then, when you’re not working, do all you can to leave work behind and be a gracious host.
Your biggest challenge will probably be training your children not to scream for you; kids are kids, after all, and inclined to follow the shortest route between A (the phone receiver) and B (you). For those times when you’re away from the office, older children can be taught to take careful message notes, and they will usually be flattered to be trusted with this important job.
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Even the most supportive adults may find it difficult to accept the proposition that you are “at home but unavailable.” People who would never arrive unannounced at your office building will unthinkingly expect you to be ready for long chats whenever they drop by your home office. You will have to be polite but firm—very firm. Make it clear that, except for emergencies, you are not to be disturbed between such-and-such hours. Your fax machine and photocopier are not neighborhood resources. Another suggestion: Don’t answer the home phone while you’re “at the office.” Let the home answering machine be your secretary.
“Would You Mind . . . ?”
One problem common to home-based workers is coping with requests for free services. The graphic designer who sets up at home is suddenly a prime target for everyone who wants “a little help with the church newsletter” or “a nice-looking flyer for the yard sale.” The accountant who works at home has friends and neighbors who want him to “look over” their 1040 forms at tax time. You may decide to refuse everyone because you may fear that a well-intended exception or two will cause resentment among those you turned down. The best practice is to identify the groups and people you are willing to help at the beginning of the year. You can explain to the others that you already have commitments, but you would be willing to consider their request another year. Another effective strategy is to meet such requests with a cost estimate. Put a dollar value on your time. People who are serious about using your services will pay while others will stop asking you.
From a humanitarian and business standpoint, charitable work is good for you and your community—but nonprofit clients can also be the most demanding of all, with little understanding of your need to be profitable. If you take an assignment from a charity, be clear from the start if it is gratis or if you expect payment. Regardless, draw up a contract specifying the work you will do and what, if any, compensation will be received. If you are willing to donate your time or work for cost, set reasonable goals and deadlines. If a nonprofit (or anyone else) wants your work for free and in a rush, say no immediately. Your paying clients are your primary focus and responsibility.
Still another option is to choose a group that you really care about and limit your “donations” to that organization. (You may want to select a charity that is not the traditional beneficiary of large donor funding.) The advantage of selecting only one or two charities is that you can get to know them well, become familiar with their needs and goals, and establish long-lasting relationships.
Be a Good Neighbor
Inform your near neighbors that you’re working from home at the very start and then go about your business as unobtrusively as possible. They’ll want honest assurances that your business will not disrupt their lives, put them at risk, or impact their property values.
Be a good neighbor by doing the following:
• Consider the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Be sure to abide by all town regulations, especially those concerning signage, noise, and parking.
• Hold meetings or receive customers at home during standard business hours. Traffic before 9:00 A.M. and after 5:00 P.M. should be kept to a minimum.
• Never hog the available parking. If you share a driveway with neighbors, be sure their access and egress is never blocked.
• Don’t expect a neighbor to sign for your deliveries on a regular basis.