Message #65442

[raindance]

We have a lot of home-based workers in my company and only one is at director level.  I also occasionally work from home.

I think there are some requirements for home-based working if it is going to be a successful, full-time and permanent arrangement.  Dedicated work space is important. The corner of a bed-room, the kitchen table or the dining-room are not particularly ideal in my experience. Dedicated and fast internet connection and separate telephone line with an answering machine, lockable cabinets for paperwork if you need to keep paper files, space for printer and computer, and a door that you can shut when you are working or have finished working.  Ideally, your company should carry out an ergonomic assessment of your working area and provide you with the necessary equipment.  Your company should also fund the internet and telephone connections either in whole or in part.  

Not every worker is a suitable candidate for home-working.  It requires a lot of self-discipline to work the proper hours, and a certain level of maturity to be able to work in isolation without becoming discouraged or demotivated.  That's where good communications with your manager and support staff come in.  You also need to agree level and method of contact with your manager, how post will be handled, expenses and so on.  

Some of my friends work in whatever clothes they would wear at home; others work in "office clothes".  Most of them work the proper office hours and ensure they take the required breaks for lunch and so on.  One of my friends has the workroom in a part of the house where no-one goes except to work - so "home time" is a very clear demarcation in the day.

When all the arrangements are in place, it's great to be able to work from home.