15 replies to this topic

[scubaclint]

Recently I have been given the opportunity to work from home. My same job but through a virtual desktop be able to have access to everything at home. I am having mixed feelings about it. Yes it would be nice to not have to commute but also I can see feeling very isolated.

I was wondering how many of my SD friends work from home? Is it the best thing ever? or would you rather you didn't?

Thanks.

Clint

[lv2dive70]

Recently I have been given the opportunity to work from home. My same job but through a virtual desktop be able to have access to everything at home. I am having mixed feelings about it. Yes it would be nice to not have to commute but also I can see feeling very isolated.

I was wondering how many of my SD friends work from home? Is it the best thing ever? or would you rather you didn't?

Thanks.

Clint

Clint, I just got back to working in an office after my last three jobs were WFH. I have to say, it has been an interesting experience. I was NOT happy about having to go into an office, the commute is about 45 minutes each way, and I HATE traffic. But when I worked from home I always said that it just meant I had more time to work (when I wasn't sitting in traffic) and that really was true. I still get up at 6:00 am - only now I get to work at 9 instead of starting slowly at 630 and really ratcheting it up by 7. And I still have to commute home at the end of the day.

I really thought going in to work would make me nuts but I actually am enjoying being around people and interacting. Now that I'm not, I think it was kind of isolating to WFH, although I wouldn't have thought so at the time. Especially considering that most of my day was spent on the phone even when I was WFH!

I guess my short answer is- I am surprising myself by saying, I am actually enjoying being in an office and I'm not sure whether I'd choose to WFH if it were an option, esp. if it were every day. I'm curious as to other's opinions.

[WreckWench]

To work from home you must be very disciplined and really work. As Kate said...put the time in that you would have spent commuting and don't hang out too much on cool sites like SingleDivers.com!

Aside from being disciplined you need to ensure that you do not have many distractions at home. If you do then stay at the office.

If you have an active social life and can really benefit from some 'quieter work time' then working from home is great. It was for me. Too many people in the office always left me working late to get things done. When I was by myself...I could more easily do them. Talking on the phone gave me lots of social interaction and going to the office at least 1 day or so a week also kept me dialed in. I also had a lot of customer appts so that kept me socially connected.

There will be pros and cons. If your commute is long its a great option. If the commute is short then consider your co-workers. Do you get a long well with them? Do they make the day better? Do you need access to your boss or amenities at work to get the job done? If so consider staying at the office.

I hope that helps... kamala

[GunnaBDiver?]

This is a very interesting topic. I work in Washington DC and commute 2 1/2 hours each way to work. Therefore leaving at 4:30 am and returning at 7:00 pm. In the past year I have been permitted to work from home one day a week, and I must say that "it is the best thing ever". One day a week I can actually sleep until 6:30 instead of 4:00 and when my work day is over, its still daylight and I'm already home. It also means that I can make a dr. appt without taking the whole day off.

In the event of inclement weather such as Hurricanes or winter storms, I still provide service even if there is a government closure so it works out to everyones benefit. With that being said, I still would not like to work from home every day. I would prefer 2 days a week, but I like getting out of the house and being in the office also.

[tadawson]

Recently I have been given the opportunity to work from home. My same job but through a virtual desktop be able to have access to everything at home. I am having mixed feelings about it. Yes it would be nice to not have to commute but also I can see feeling very isolated.

I was wondering how many of my SD friends work from home? Is it the best thing ever? or would you rather you didn't?

Thanks.

Clint

I have been work at home for the last three jobs, and short of a gun being held to my head, I would never go back to the oppressive, offensive, sweatshop environment of an office . . . I work in high tech, and the ability to actually take care of what matters without some pinhead manager looking over your shoulder and ragging because you are 7 seconds late (yet still outproduce everyone) is priceless. I do travel a fair amount, so my "out of the office" time is to client sites all over the world, and I can also go mobile to wherever I need to be most of the time, so the ability to not only get things done at home, but to be other places on slow days is also huge. Not to mention all the fuel I don't buy and needlessly burn just to get to a place that offers nothing I don't have at home . . . .

And frankly, my company (a very large US firm . . . ) came to the conclusion quite some time ago that folks who work from home are generally more productive, and happier than those who don't, and a large majority of our workforce has the option . . .

And yes, I did worry at first about productivity, but if anything, find myself perhaps working more, since I can handle things on *MY* schedule far more than ever before!

- Tim

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

The entire scope of my job does not lend itself to working from home, but the accounting side does. I find when I take work home to deal with over a weekend, I am very productive without all the interruptions that working in the office brings. However, if I worked at home full time, I would be in the local bar & grill every night, just to talk to people face to face. Guess I need the social interaction at some point during the day.....it does not have to be with co-workers, though.

I know some of your work story, so I understand the appeal to you of working from home. I also know that you help your Mom out a lot, so being available to her at a moment's notice may also have benefits.
If you do work from home, minimize the distractions. Keep the TV and Xbox turned off!

[BettyRubble]

I do a mix of working from home and being in the office. Gives me best of both worlds. For me, I'm very active in a number of groups in my personal life so the isolation factor isn't an issue. Of course, I also have two teenagers at home so I'm never totally alone for long!

[drifter]

Being back in school, I'm pretty free to either work there (they provide a cube) or at home. I've found I'm more productive in the cube (fewer opportunities for distraction). However, I could fix that at home if necessary. I would gut the home office room, making it very work oriented. Currently, my dive gear is in the closet, there are tons of other things around that can provide distractions...so, when I really want to get work done, I go over to the cube on campus. I found it pretty much the same when I had the chance to work from home. I liked being able to work on my schedule and take care of errands during the day if necessary, but was more efficient at the office.

Scott

[scubajunkie6]

I was working from home about 1 or 2 days a week, and right now I'm working from home full time, due to a family situation. I work with a lot of people in Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malaysia, so it works well to be able to work at 10pm, after my son goes to bed, which is 11am KL time. So, for quite awhile, I would work in the office for a period of time, go home, then finish the work day at night, at home. In fact, my reporting manager is in KL.

The only issue I have right now about working full time at home is that I have a staff below me. So while I can't see their faces, I can instant message, email, or call them regularly. Thankfully, I've worked with them for over 7 years, so they all know their job responsibilities and I don't have to micro manage them.

I find myself totally wrapped up in my work at home. I forget that I can start a load of laundry, put the crock pot on for a dinner, or perhaps run a quick errand. So my husband often feels that the house should be cleaner, etc. as a result of my being home more often.

The only other thing I need to watch out for is that there are times when I tend to nibble on more snacks. The refrigerator is a bit too convenient.

[drbill]

I've worked from home for decades. I couldn't stand being in an office or commuting, especially when my bosses couldn't find enough work to keep me occupied for a week. Of course I've been working for myself for a long time now... and my "new" boss never has trouble finding enough work for me to do. In fact, he often makes me work 7 days a week from 6:30 AM to midnight. But I'm doing things I enjoy.

If I were working from home within a corporate or other business structure (with a boss, associates I needed to interact with, etc.) it could be a different story. I would want to spend at least some time each week at the office to maintain social ties within the organization (and get the latest gossip!).

[scubaclint]

Thanks everyone for your input.

Tomorrow I am working from home. Making sure my connection works and everything runs smoothly. The good news is that I didn't have to decide all or nothing at this point. I can do it once in a while on a trial basis.


Clint

[scubaclint]

Report for the first day: Very, very busy. Whew! Had to go into the office for awhile and iron out some glitches so I didn't have a non-commuting day.

Another trial day on Thursday.

Clint

[WreckWench]

Hey Clint even if you end up doing the home office thing...be careful as DrBill says to go to the office enough to keep on top of the office politics and to not be forgotten. Plus you don't want to lose contact with your peers or boss. Good luck...you'll do great!

[scubajunkie6]

You may actually find yourself doing more work at home because you don't have to travel, not as many interruptions, etc. Watch your hours and don't over do it...find a good balance for yourself.