Home-based, Work at Home, Remote Workers Thread

[Medusa]

A thread for folks who work at home for their company or run a business out of their houses.

I occasionally work at home (average of 1 - 2 days a week) with my company and would love to connect with other folks who are home-based.

Tips for staying motivated, avoiding distractions, keeping a schedule, etc. welcome!

[Gayandgray]

I do not work from home but recently spoke with a lady that just retired as a Medical Transcriptionist who worked from home. I was really intrigued by this. I would imagine that it probably has its ups and downs.

[Medusa]

Absolutely! There are some definite pluses to it like being able to work in your pajamas if you want to, being able to do housework in between conference calls, and no distractions from coworkers but I think those could also be seen as negatives LOL

[girl_dee]

After my accident in 2016 i was forced into working from home, and i LOVED it.

I had an office space in my home, and had to be super diligent about going into it, staying in, not raiding the pantry all day, and knocking out my work and being efficient. It sure takes discipline.

Of course what I did, was bring my laptop into the back yard, played fetch with my dog while doing laundry, cooking dinner and snacking on whatever i could get my hands on, oh and having my mother over.

I was a huge advocate for people working from home, and did research on it. There are pros and cons. I think I am more productive at home, as I had non stop interruptions at work which totally pulled me away from the task at hand.

I’ve had employees that I could never let work from home, and others who would thrive it in, but its a fine line trying to impose this in the workplace. I chose not to let anyone work from home.

After I healed, I chose to work from home a couple of days a week, but missed my team and the social aspect of it. For an introvert like me, it’s ALL of my socialization.

For my side hustle wedding biz, it’s all done at home, except for the actual ceremony, and i absolutely love being in my biz space doing what I absolutely love. I hope to enjoy this part forever.

[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!

[Lyte]

I need to find me one of these gigs!

I did get "head hunted" by Apple has a Supervisor for ... home advisors(?)... I'd get to work from home too. Tiny problem... I don't own any Apple products! I may have to rethink my ... don't drink the Kool-Aid ... position on Apple products!

[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!

[CherryWine]

I’ve recently started working from home one day a week. I love it and feel like I’m better at getting into “the zone”. There are fewer distractions when I’m at home. I do miss my second computer monitor, though, but will hopefully remedy that soon.

[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!!

[Reach *BANNED*]

I have worked from home more often than not during my work life. In the beginning what I had to make sure of is that the companies were not scammers. Once I made sure the companies were reputable then I was good. The biggest hurdle for me is making sure I did not procrastinate which is easy to do of course when you are home. Once I conquered that I really loved it. I have changed my field of work a couple of times and have still been able to work remote in some form.

I say go for it Medusa- just make sure you will be good financially working that way- and most of all you will be happy not always having the constant co-workers around. Some people say they really want this at first- and then find that they miss it a lot.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Reach

I have worked from home more often than not during my work life. In the beginning what I had to make sure of is that the companies were not scammers. Once I made sure the companies were reputable then I was good. The biggest hurdle for me is making sure I did not procrastinate which is easy to do of course when you are home. Once I conquered that I really loved it. I have changed my field of work a couple of times and have still been able to work remote in some form.

I say go for it Medusa- just make sure you will be good financially working that way- and most of all you will be happy not always having the constant co-workers around. Some people say they really want this at first- and then find that they miss it a lot.

Absolutely! I love the idea of working from home but I am a pretty social person so I'd need to mitigate feeling isolated.
I checked into some groups in the city I will be moving to and there is a work from home group there and they meet up a few days a week at local coffee shops and places with good wi-fi for think tanks and socializing while staying connected.
I LOVE this idea and think that might keep me from feeling housebound all the time.

And yanno, while I'm pretty social the idea of having to be somewhere 8 to 5 M-F makes me shiver. I've been with my company 9 years and come and go as I please and pretty much keep my own schedule so even going to work for a company with a strict "you must be here by 8am" thing would be an adjustment. Not that I couldn't do it, I'm an adult after all, but I definitely enjoy my flexibility