I am often in awe of the opportunities that exist to have a fantastic home working life. And I dont mean booking the odd day out of the office to work from home, I mean running a fulltime business entirely from your front room or office in the attic!
Minutes ago I kissed my children off to school and immediately sat down at my desk to work with the fire on and the dog curled up at my feet. Technology nowadays gives us the capacity and freedom to work from virtually anywhere – and I am so grateful because having my own business and working from home is perfect for me.
I realise though that it is not for everyone. What is important is to weigh up the pros and cons for you personally as we are all different.
Working from home suits someone who:
Is disciplined and organised around managing their time…
…has the ability to stay focussed and is not easily distracted. But to be fair this can be as difficult in a place of work – the distractions are different that’s all. The main difference is at home you are answerable only to yourself. So it does better suit someone who can work without guidance or external motivation and has their own internal driver and engine.
Requires flexibility around the times they work…
…Combining work and family commitments is far easier if you can work them around each other. It is a delicate and skilled juggling act but one that allows you to work AND be around for your family. I know plenty of people however who choose work in order to get some time away from the family, and that’s cool too.
Wants to keep expenditure down…
…Leasing an office with just a desk costs £1000s a year. Shared office space with no furniture or equipment was going to cost a client £6000 a year. He was seriously considering it because he felt it was right as he wanted to ‘expand’ the business. After some discussion he realised that he didn’t need to be visible or accessible to the public in this way and decided to ‘expand’ instead by investing more into developing his business’s on-line presence.
Doesn’t need to receive clients or customers…
…Receiving business guests in your own home can be awkward and may feel uncomfortable. I personally don’t choose to do it and instead arrange to meet in an appropriate café or public place.
Doesn’t have any employees…
…Having even one employee working in your home brings with it legal considerations regards the working environment such as health and safety, liability insurance and general working conditions. Paying self-employed individuals allows you to outsource parts of your business without having employees. However educate yourself on the legal implications of when someone can be classed as an ‘employee’. Whether someone who works for you should be treated as employed or as self-employed depends on the terms of your working relationship.