Working from home questions

13 Comments

1. Anisa HajimuminOctober 24,2020 at 2:22AM UTC

   Hello, I love working from home. It can be hard to separate work and family, what I do is I make a to do list, and I treat my work as it if I am in the office. During lunch time, I may take a break or I would make quick protein shakes then get back. And by doing that, I have been able to achieve much. There might be chances that family or friends would undermine and make working from home seem like easy but stand on your ground, and explain that you are expected to produce the same results. I hope this helps. Thanks

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2. AnonymousOctober 24,2020 at 2:53AM UTC

   Having a routine and schedule is important because it’s very easy to work longer hours because time can escape you and can be difficult to turn off. High speed internet, ergonomic desk, monitor and equipment will be essential too. Your employer may pay for these items because your home is now the office. I have been working from home since March when the shelter in place order was initially set and no one has to worry about commuting. Working remotely is good for life balance, but having a set start and end time is a must.

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3. Danielle SimonOctober 24,2020 at 3:54AM UTC

   I interpret your question more as how hard is it to get a job working from home. It seems like there is a ton of competition for most remote positions if you’re applying to them vs just having a job that is letting you do that because of the pandemic or because the pandemic changed the employer’s thinking or because it’s viewed as a nice perk where you can choose whether or not to work from home. I just got hired for a job where the pandemic changed the employer’s mind about allowing employees to work from home sometimes, but it’s still mostly an office job and is local (I can work from home twice a week).

   I’ve applied for lots of jobs that are totally remote, and I’ve only heard from two. One had a ridiculous hiring process, ie IQ test, personality test, short-answer questions to answer, interview with HR and then there would have been at least one more interview. These are job titles/descriptions that, if local, I’d have employers contacting me for interviews without any issues.

   This is without getting into the high-speed internet issue. When I worked from home during the shutdown, it was definitely necessary. Almost all of my work required the internet, and it will be the same for my new job. There are some customer service jobs where you might just need a phone and headset, but most jobs want you to have a steady, fast and reliable internet connection. I had the internet go down once when I was working from home, and I used my iPhone as a mobile hotspot, which is like a good version of dial-up internet, ie not good for working on a regular basis.

   I actually didn’t love working from home, although I prefer that during the pandemic or when it’s slow at work. But something about working from home ruins the sanctity of my home, ie I go home to get away from work, you know. I don’t have a room I can dedicate to working, so I would work in my bedroom...and it just felt wrong, on some level, ie the need to get away from work and not mix the two.

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4. Juliana Vieira Habib OliveiraOctober 24,2020 at 4:04AM UTC

   Hi!!!

   I would say, organizations should provide you all the support for you working frok home. Of course, depending to policies practices the internet allowance can change; or, in case you can take some materials to build a confortable office in your home.
   The most important is: give this visibility to your managers, providing possible solutions as well. That would be good!

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5. LisaOctober 24,2020 at 5:57AM UTC

   Hi. I live in a rural community with the same issue. I found an excellent work around. I paid $200 for a mifi device from Verizon and it’s own line at $20/mo. Unlimited with 15 gigs of high speed. I could not have worked at home without it. And it is mobile. It saved me!

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6. TyraOctober 27,2020 at 9:32PM UTC

   I agree with getting a hot spot . I would think of it as an investment in exchange for more flexibility that WFH provides . And with most roles, especially WFH ones, communication, communication and communication is so important in building a relationship based on trust .

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7. AnonymousOctober 28,2020 at 12:03PM UTC

   From a technology standpoint, you may need to invest in a mifi or other internet source; first see if your company has anything to offer in terms of a product or discount that could assist you. Treat it like an investment for it yourself.

   Then there is the mindset --
   Separating the spaces where you work and live are key, so even if you are in the tiniest space, carve out a work nook. If you need to spruce up an area or move furniture around, do it! It's your space so do what you want.
   Lighting is key- invest in good lighting whether for virtual calls or to work at.
   If you will spend a significant time on Zoom (hello 2020), check on the background in the area you create (no unmade beds behind you)
   If you have a window nearby, consider getting a plant or window bird feeder for a nature boost.
   Time boundaries are a must - just because you don't commute, should not mean you have additional hours in the day to "be on" unless you choose to.
   Getting dressed as if you are going to work (especially if you are on virtual calls) may help keep your mind engaged in "work"
   Block time during the day to get out of the house/apt and take in some fresh air between meetings or projects.

   Try it and see if it works for you. Sometimes it take a while to establish a routine. Some people are more productive, some less.
   If you have the option, take it. If nothing else you will learn a lot about yourself and your work (and other) habits.

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8. Janice EnochOctober 28,2020 at 1:54PM UTC

   Hello! I agree with making the investment in the internet technology that will offer you the opportunity to take advantage of work at home job opportunities. When you do work through your internet challenges and find a remote position I suggest setting a schedule and being disciplined with managing the schedule to ensure you do not suffer from burn out. Personally, I log off at a reasonable time each day to spend time with my family, prepare dinner and to enjoy some Me time! It's very easy to continue working all day and evening when you're at home which will eventually lead to burnout and no one wants that!

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9. AlisonDOctober 28,2020 at 2:37PM UTC

   Hi - I have worked from home for about 20 years, so feel pretty expert at it! Looks as though other FGB members have addressed your tech issues, so I'll try and tackle the emotional and mind sides of this query because they can be challenging, depending on your situation and personality.

   I did not see whether you're living alone, with a partner, or with kids or another combo. I started working remotely when our daughter was born; I was relatively newly married and decided to freelance instead of returning to my full-time job at a publishing company. It went very well, so I did it for 10 years until my old boss there asked me to work for him again at another firm, writing custom content. I have not worked in an office since Nov. 1998 but have worked on-staff for several publishers and been self-employed, freelancing for many of the world's biggest tech brands, as well as some of the smallest. Here, in no particular order, are my suggestions. Some, based on my experience, are impossible to get -- at least if your partner is anything like mine. Grrrr. :(

   a, Definitely make a work space, whether you can or cannot dedicate a room as an office. (This is also great at tax time; check out IRS.gov for their rules for deducting home-office expenses... really important if you are going to be self-employed.)
   b. If you ARE going to be self-employed, consider forming an LLC, S-Corp., or other type of business. Taxes as a freelancer are horrendous -- I did not follow this advice. I was a fool. Cost me tax-rate of about 50% pre-tax, paid quarterly on estimated taxes and was still never enough. Horror show and the main reason I took up my former manager's offer!
   c. Do two things for yourself: You MUST allot time for you as Janice wisely says, otherwise you'll work all the time. You MUST pay yourself, too, versus dumping payments into a checking or savings account and using it from there. This discipline will help when / if freelance dries up in, say, January versus when it's crazy-loco-busy in May.
   d. If you have children, depending on their age come up with a system for when they cannot bother you unless it's an emergency. (Aside: My daughter once thought an emergency was, "Mom, may I please have a cookie?" when I was hosting a webinar! She was very young so it was actually cute -- answer was still "NO!!!")
   e. Your appointments for you are just as important as other appointments: If you're going to the doctor, stylist, lunch with a friend (remember when we did that?!), then those are equally valuable to meeting with a client/ new client. I didn't do that and got burned out at times.
   f. Join a virtual group within your industry as well as being super-active in FGB; you really will need us/them, sometimes just to chat, sometimes for things like your post here, sometimes for a laugh or cry.
   g. Think of all the things you like and dislike abut your office job and build on those dos and don'ts.

   There are more pieces of advice I could share but I don't want to monopolize and I'm on deadline! But I'm happy to answer specific questions if you think I can be of help. Good luck. You've got this! - Alison

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10. AnonymousOctober 28,2020 at 8:45PM UTC

    I want to thank all of you for the advice that you have given me. I do have a husband as well as three girls who are old enough to not bug me. Now I just have to find the right company for me. My background is mainly in customer service since I’ve worked retail most of my life.

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11. Vela SivasankaranNovember 1,2020 at 4:53AM UTC

    That is tough. You need broadband internet, if you are going to be logged in for atleast 8 hrs per day. Mobile internet is a very costly option, use it sparingly. You can check if your local cafe offers free wifi to their customers and work there but then this will really not be a work from home. Some major broadband companies like Comcast offer free wifi for the public on their existing customers networks too but only in the areas they serve already.

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12. Limor BergmanNovember 5,2020 at 1:00PM UTC

    Hi Anonymous,
    I have been working from home for the last 4 years.
    I even published an article about it a while back, you can read it over here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-happy-remote-employee-limor-bergman/
    Fast internet is really essential, otherwise you can try to join some of the calls via phone. but it also depends about the culture of your company.
    What about working from a shared office space, or a coffee shop, is this an option for some of the days/meetings?

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13. Fran GreenmanNovember 19,2020 at 4:49PM UTC

    Working from home can seem like a dream - especially for moms who feel disconnected from family when they are away in an office or traveling most days. It does take discipline, however, and self-motivation to assure that you get your work done and done well in the midst of the distractions that surround you at home. While WFH jobs were hard to come by in the past, the pandemic has accelerated many companies interest in- and approval of - working from home, which has helped too. Since nearly all companies had to "go remote" in the spring, they can now see that there are advantages and that productivity does not suffer (and might actually improve!) and many are reevaluating their position. With a retail background, you should have many of the requirements companies seek when hiring remote customer service managers. Often, these companies will provide the equipment that you need and subsidize, if not pay outright, for utility services like telephone and internet. My home is also in an area where high speed internet is challenging, but there are many options to get there - your cable, wireless and/or satellite companies may be able to help. Best of luck to you!

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