While working at home used to be somewhat of a rarity, it is now a regular part of working life for many people. Indeed, some companies are now happy to employ full-time remote staff, or offer current staff the option to telecommute on some days.
If you're considering telecommuting or working from home , make sure you are ready before you dive in. A work athome job has many benefits, as long as you know how to prepare your home and your expectations.
Set up a dedicated work space
You may have telecommuted occasionally, plopping the laptop down on the dining table with a few pertinent folders and a cellphone at hand. That was OK for a temporary work station. But if you're doing this full time, you need a dedicated office space in your home.
Hopefully, you have the option of converting a room in your home into an office. If you don't, can you build a space in the basement, or convert a large portion of a room into a work space? Room dividers and clever furniture placement can help. This needs to be somewhere that you use only for work, allowing you to easily separate it from your personal and leisure time.
What's more, if you have a family, or kids you need to set solid boundaries for your telecommuting hustle. You may need to get a sitter for little kids. Let them know that it's extremely important for you to have a place to work without noise or distractions. Sometimes, it's possible to shut out noise with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones, or even ear plugs. But that is not ideal.
Invest in the best equipment that you can afford
You may be lucky and get a telecommuting job that supplies you with a computer, phone, and other necessary electronics and equipment. However you may have to go out and purchase these items on your own if you are an independent contractor.
However you get your equipment, make sure you have the best that you can currently afford. You are now on your own, without the help of an IT department or other specialist. You do not want to be at the mercy of old, glitchy equipment that could leave you in serious trouble at the worst possible time. Plus, get the latest software updates. I have always had good luck with Dell Laptops
You will also need to have excellent services to support this equipment. For starters, you'll need a great, high-speed internet connection. You'll also need good cellphone reception. If you're getting a lot of dropped calls or interference, you will find it frustrating to communicate with the office and any customers you may deal with. In that case, look into signal boosters, or get a landline
Do not ditch your office attire completely
A lot of people think that when they get a work-at-home gig, they'll swap the suits and professional clothing for jogging pants and a T-shirt. Depending on the kind of work you are doing, that's not always a good idea. You may need to do video conference via zoom or webex and you don't want to come across as sloppy.
Set regular office hours for yourself
A work-at-home work can means a lot of flexibility. But, if you get into bad habits quickly, that flexibility can soon become a threat to your productivity and your livelihood.
The problem with a work-at-home job is the amount of freedom and distraction that comes with it. In an office environment, you have a work space, a boss, coworkers, and very little else to do but focus on the task at hand. At home, you are literally surrounded by the comforts of home. You have a living room, a TV, music, a kitchen full of food, a garden, and a bed …
Fight the temptation to sleep in an extra hour, or take two hours for lunch. These can become dangerous habits. You won't finish your tasks on time, or you'll rush and produce sloppy work. Either way, you could soon kiss your telecommuting job goodbye, and all the perks that go with it.
So, set your hours, and stick to them. After a while, it will become second nature. And let your family and friends know that you're at work, even though you're at home.
Know what your work-at-home role entails
This one can trip many people up, simply because the expectations they have might not align with those of their employer. If you're truly working for yourself, and you're your own boss, this will not be an issue. But if you are working for a company, you may discover that they have guidelines for you to follow.
For instance, you may need to be available at your computer and/or phone at certain hours throughout the day. They may want you to travel into the office for big meetings, or to organize presentations.
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