For what is likely to be my last entry in this blog, I
decided to wrap up Living in My Office with the questions to consider
before jumping into working from home.
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| My Co-workers. Lazy bums! |
For myself, I personally find working from home a lot like doing homework back in school. It can be more difficult to create an environment of productivity in the place where personal distractions often interrupt your activities. This does not mean it is impossible, but it does mean you should lay out a plan for how you will keep up your productivity before you take the leap into living in your office.
Do you have the space?
Consider the actual spatial area you need to conduct your business. Personally, I cannot function in a cramped
area. Even though I only use about half
the room I have designated my office, it is fully equipped with a sizable
L-shaped desk, a riser for two additional monitors (total of three with my
laptop), a color printer and a laser printer, along with a large shelf with
room to spare. That said, I still plan
to upgrade desks when the right one comes along. I want a hutch or similar on a longer
L-shaped or U-shaped desk. I do not have
products I need to store or much in the way of files to maintain, but I do want
more room to separate my office work from my school work. If your business requires constant referral
to product manuals, sample catalogs, laying out photographs, or anything else
that needs some open room to maneuver, take this into consideration when looking
for your new home office location.
Will it disrupt the house?
I haven’t mentioned this before, but my husband also works
from home. Unlike my contained office in
a specific room, he has things that he shelves and he requires room to pack
items for shipping. He uses our kitchen
table and our extra living room. We have
a den for visitors and relaxing. Both of
us tend to eat at our desks, so we rarely need the table. However, if we had kids or entertained a lot
then his packing and materials could be a disruption. He can stop and start with lots of
flexibility and works alone, whereas I have set office hours in which I am
expected to be available and have conversations with coworkers. Which leads us to...
Will the house disrupt you?
Sometimes I listen to music or a TV program while I work,
but not often. And as long as the dogs
are quiet, they are welcome to use the dog beds in the room to rest all day. But if they get to barking, or people stop
by, my work may be interrupted.
Generally I just close the door in those situations and leave the
household disruptions for my husband to deal with. He knows I am unavailable until quitting
time, and I let him know if something has made my day go longer or if I have to
return to working later in the evening.
In a way, he is an excellent personal assistant!
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| Distractions outside my window, but they are worth the view! |
Does your business need licensing?
For many, working from home envisions computer work and a
desk job. But some things such as
massage therapy, a beauty parlor, real estate, repair shops, or tax services
may require additional licensing in your state.
It is a good use of funds to run
any new business past a legal advisor to make sure you are in compliance.
Will you have visitors?
In my area, business entrances must be separate from the
main home entrance. I do not have
clients, so this is not a concern. However,
the couple we bought our home from are real estate agents. They used a patio door entrance on the side
of the house into the third bedroom to meet the separate entrance
requirement. I decided to use the other
bedroom for my office, as I liked the patio for guests to enjoy when they
visit. In addition to the entrance, plan
for parking, and ensure your homeowner’s insurance will cover visitors on
business. You may require supplemental
insurance. Lastly, are there activities
in your home that may negatively affect the impression your visitors may have
of doing business with you?
Will you hire staff?
Staffing a home office opens new dimensions to your home
officing. Aside from welcoming them into
your home, you will need to adhere to human resource laws, administer payroll,
time off, raises or corrective actions, and potentially provide for benefits.
Are you ready for technical issues?
Even those employed by a company and working at home may run
into difficult to overcome technical issues.
Many of us have experienced short internet outages at home, however what
would you do if the connection to your home was accidently disconnected and
service would not be restored for several days?
Or your computer crashes? Are
there other places nearby you could work from for a period of time? Is the local library or coffee shop
appropriate for your work?
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Living in your office is a unique experience that changes the way you see your career. I enjoy it. I think there are many others out there who feel trapped with long commutes, cube farm offices, and unhappy trying to work in a corporate environment. And others may be trying to avoid entering the “rat race” of being an employee in a building. If you are in either of these situations, I hope this blog gave you a few ideas towards working from your own home.Jenn
