Home-based, Work at Home, Remote Workers Thread

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by BullDog

I work from home as a freelance writer and I absolutely love it!

When I worked at jobs I found I was constantly interrupted by meetings, co-workers stopping by the desk/cubicle, etc. Sure it's nice to chat sometimes but the amount of productive time can be really low.

My biggest problem is I constantly work all the time and hardly ever take breaks. And yes, I definitely spend too much time bouncing in here and there on the internet. When I really need to get serious I do have to close all windows and just focus. I really do need to do that more. There are apps for it that I haven't tried. Also, setting work hours separate from personal hours does sound like a really good idea. I don't do that either.

I actually feel more secure because I don't have to worry about being laid off from one specific job. I'm lucky in that I haven't ever had a customer "stiff me." Also, if someone gets too difficult I just choose not to work with them anymore. I made a lot more money as an accountant and in sales and I do have to work long hours and constantly look for new work but I love it!

Oh and yes, mostly I am wearing shorts or pj pants, ha ha, it's great!

I've definitely been kicking around going free-lance and just working for myself but my Virgo brain would explode because the thought of not knowing exactly when my next check would come would make me crazy (and the line of work I'd do, it would definitely be piecemeal work)

I do have a couple of side-hustles and have done freelance jobs in addition to my steady but the side-work wouldn't be enough to sustain me (darn it!)

BUT...I gotta say, the idea of just working for myself is super attractive!

[BullDog]

Yes, and of course there is the problem of benefits too. So yeah pros and cons to everything. The best thing is to have enough savings for any unexpected things - which I don't have. The main "security" I have is being able to get more work and the kind of writing I do is fast turnaround.

Originally Posted by Medusa

I've definitely been kicking around going free-lance and just working for myself but my Virgo brain would explode because the thought of not knowing exactly when my next check would come would make me crazy (and the line of work I'd do, it would definitely be piecemeal work)

I do have a couple of side-hustles and have done freelance jobs in addition to my steady but the side-work wouldn't be enough to sustain me (darn it!)

BUT...I gotta say, the idea of just working for myself is super attractive!

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by BullDog

Yes, and of course there is the problem of benefits too. So yeah pros and cons to everything. The best thing is to have enough savings for any unexpected things - which I don't have. The main "security" I have is being able to get more work and the kind of writing I do is fast turnaround.

Truth - I'd freak out about the bennies but you know? It might be a worthy trade off not to have to put up with working for a giant corporate entity.

You know? It's pretty ballsy to have enough faith in your abilities to do that shit for a living! I have mad respect for that!

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Truth - I'd freak out about the bennies but you know? It might be a worthy trade off not to have to put up with working for a giant corporate entity.

You know? It's pretty ballsy to have enough faith in your abilities to do that shit for a living! I have mad respect for that!

Have you checked out the health.gov website to see what insurance plans are available in your state? I am assuming since you live in a red state, there wasn't much eagerness to bring in good insurance products to your marketplace.

[Logicaly]

I work from home 2-3 days a week, and the majority of the people I manage also work from home. I get sooo much more done when I don't have to waste time commuting, or by being distracted by an office environment. I would miss the social aspect though, which is why I still go into the office some of the time.

Having a dedicated work space certainly helps keep me on track. I also schedule a majority of my meetings for when I know I am going to be home so that this way I know I will stay busy and it makes it harder to get distracted by the home environment.

Some of the things my employees tell me work for them is treating it like they are getting up to go to work in the morning. They do the same routine, they just don't leave the house. For me, I am like hell nah, this meeting is happening in my super mario pajama pants!

As a manager of an entirely remote team, for me what I find to be difficult, its ways to make my employees feel involved in company events, and properly appreciated for the role that they play in the company. I am constantly seeking ways to show my gratitude to them, and involve them in the company.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Logicaly

I work from home 2-3 days a week, and the majority of the people I manage also work from home. I get sooo much more done when I don't have to waste time commuting, or by being distracted by an office environment. I would miss the social aspect though, which is why I still go into the office some of the time.

Having a dedicated work space certainly helps keep me on track. I also schedule a majority of my meetings for when I know I am going to be home so that this way I know I will stay busy and it makes it harder to get distracted by the home environment.

Some of the things my employees tell me work for them is treating it like they are getting up to go to work in the morning. They do the same routine, they just don't leave the house. For me, I am like hell nah, this meeting is happening in my super mario pajama pants!

As a manager of an entirely remote team, for me what I find to be difficult, its ways to make my employees feel involved in company events, and properly appreciated for the role that they play in the company. I am constantly seeking ways to show my gratitude to them, and involve them in the company.

Sounds like you have a great approach! Due to the field I am in, I could never work from home, but I would definitely have to do the schedule meeting thing in order to stay on track!

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Logicaly

I work from home 2-3 days a week, and the majority of the people I manage also work from home. I get sooo much more done when I don't have to waste time commuting, or by being distracted by an office environment. I would miss the social aspect though, which is why I still go into the office some of the time.

Having a dedicated work space certainly helps keep me on track. I also schedule a majority of my meetings for when I know I am going to be home so that this way I know I will stay busy and it makes it harder to get distracted by the home environment.

Some of the things my employees tell me work for them is treating it like they are getting up to go to work in the morning. They do the same routine, they just don't leave the house. For me, I am like hell nah, this meeting is happening in my super mario pajama pants!

As a manager of an entirely remote team, for me what I find to be difficult, its ways to make my employees feel involved in company events, and properly appreciated for the role that they play in the company. I am constantly seeking ways to show my gratitude to them, and involve them in the company.

Sounds like you have a great approach! Due to the field I am in, I will never be able to work from home, but I would definitely have to do the schedule meeting thing in order to stay on track!

[Medusa]

EEEKKKKKKKK!!!

I had a nerve-wrecking conversation with my boss on Tuesday about the possibility of going home-based full-time to accommodate some future plans.

My company is in a weird phase right now and I am not sure I will be able to go completely home-based when the time comes. To ease my nerves a bit, I have started looking at other companies and am pleased to find several that offer home-based work at least a few days a week.
I hope I can find something where I do have the option of going in to the office at least a couple of days a week (gotta have somewhere to wear my cute outfits, y'all!).
I'd like to stay with my company but I'll be living in a completely different city and even having to come in to the office one day a week would be impossible.

I work in high-tech marketing and analytics so if I choose to stay in my industry, I think I'd have a fair chance of finding something home-based.

Fingers-crossed!!