Working from home isn’t easy. Although the idea of rolling out of bed and into the office in your PJs and slippers sounds attractive, the reality is somewhat different.
A fair degree of self-discipline and self-reliance are required if the arrangement is to work successfully. And, assuredly, teleworking isn’t for everyone.
There are two main challenges to be faced head-on from the start: routine and isolation.
Where many people go wrong with remote working is to take a more relaxed approach in the mornings. Okay, you don’t have to catch a bus or get stuck in a traffic jam, but stick to a firm starting time. For one, other people will assume you are at your desk and available by 9 am at the latest. Routine is good, and difficult to get back into once it has lapsed.
With the increased use of instant messaging and internet phone calls, your contacts will see when you are – and aren’t – online. So do your fellow home workers a favour and resist the temptation to play out the stereotype. Some people find it easier to mentally attune themselves if they ‘dress’ for the office and have set, but flexible, working hours. There may be little choice soon anyway with video phone calls breaching the blindfold protection of phone calls and email. (Bad news for men who don’t like shaving every day.)
The other major hurdle is isolation. It is all too easy to feel “out of the loop” if you are a company employee who is used to working in a traditional office setting. This will take some working at to ensure you aren’t left out of the decision-making process, but has more to do with changing the conventional workplace mindset and culture to embrace the opportunities of remote working.
The other side of this particular coin is that home or remote working implies most people will be on their tod most of the time. This can take some getting used to, particularly if you come from a busy workplace environment and are accustomed to a lot of activity. Having the dog join you in the office isn’t much of a substitute. Ninety five per cent of the time Rover will be asleep under your desk. The remaining five per cent he will be hassling you to take him for a walk. With only a dog for company, phone calls suddenly take on a whole new significance.
In many ways, being home alone remote working is tougher than working in a normal office situation. There’s no one to immediately bounce ideas off. No one but yourself to ensure the work gets done. No one, for that matter, to set boundaries of behaviour, personal hygiene and ideas. You are your own boss. And he or she is the worst one yet!
That said, one taste of remote working and they’ll have to wrench the keyboard from your cold, dead hands before you’d return to the 9 to 5 commuter slog.
