Working From Home…

Some things sound better on paper than in reality. I used to love the idea of a job, where travelling was part of the job description. The romantic idea of flying to regional meetings by plane, or travelling by train (1st class of course) is in reality replaced by…..well just a lot of waiting and hanging around. There is nothing romantic about a job spent using budget airlines and smelly, over-crowded planes.

I am sure about ten years ago ‘industry insiders’ suggested that in the not too distant future, when technology permitted it, we would all work from home, networking and working via our mega fast computers and video conferencing systems. This always sounded great to me. A job that allowed you to jump straight into work mode, to then simply jump back out again, sounded appealing, but in reality not always practical in the face to face business environment I worked in.

However, over the last few years working from home’ or ‘telecommuting jobs’ (as commonly called in the States) have grown in popularity. A telecommuting job, simply means a job role that can be performed via the internet or the phone and therefore not necessarily in the office environment. Over the last few months TheEmployable have experienced this ‘virtual job’ environment, and I now have as much an online presence as I do an offline one, and my office is simply the laptop or computer I use and the coffee I brew. Specialist jobsites now specifically cater for this type of role such as VirtualVocations in the States.

So with that in mind, check out  below the advantages and disadvantages of a working from home career…

Advantages

Creature Comforts..I make dripped to perfection coffee at home. I then take a seat in my living room, and start typing. The sound of the Stone Roses resonates around the room, and the smell of strongly brewed coffee helps me get into that ‘creative place’ I need to be. Working from home gives me the freedom to control my own surroundings – in a sterile office environment, where the air temperature is set and the only sound is the phone, you can feel stifled by the conformity a corporate environment can give you.

Less interruption… When you work in an office environment and you have a tight schedule on an important piece of work, I can guarantee that those you work alongside you will add to the pressure you are feeling. Not intentionally of course, but conversation will inadvertently turn to X-Factor or some recent scandal, or a recent news event. Of course, you will feel obliged to join in, in fact you will probably love a good old chat and catch up. Home working can help avoid this issue and the disruption that working in an office with colleague can give you.

Travel Cost…. Simple…. there really aren’t any. Of course Telecommuting, could also mean working in a local coffee shop, or in fact anywhere you can place your laptop, and yes you may need to pay for that, but working from home obviously removes the burden that ongoing petrol or travel costs can give you..

Time… Some days I start at 10am and finished at 10pm. Not that this is an issue as perhaps the next day I will work the morning and then stop. Working from home (position depending) can give you the freedom to managed your own time, and the freedom to work your own working hours, as opposed to the 9am – 5pm that you are expected to conform to in an office environment. Working from home jobs are also very beneficial to parents or any worker who needs flexible working hours to fit their job around outside commitments.

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