9 to 5
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
working from home - advice
I am changing career fields from a statistician to a credit analyst. I was offered a job as a credit analyst but it would be working from home because the office I would be working for is about 4 hours away. I have never worked from home but think I would enjoy it. However, I do have some hesitancy about it being in a new field. I would get some initial training in their office. If you work from home -
Do you enjoy it?
Do you have any words of advice?
Is there anything I should negotiate? (They did tell me the pay would be a little less if I am working from home rather than in their office b/c I would be more limited in what I can do.)
Re: working from home - advice
I work from home. I enjoy it most days, but it can be a bit isolating. I think especially starting a new job it will be difficult to establish relationships with other people in the office. It also helps to have friends around that you can go to lunch with or meet up with during the week.
I would also find out if you need to have set hours during the week. Will you need to be available during certain times (9-5 for ex), or can you work in the evening if you need to do other things during the day. I volunteer once a week in the morning and work those hours in the evening or on the weekend. As long as I am getting my work done and working at least 40 hours a week I can be flexible with my time.
DH works from home. He does enjoy it, but it can be very difficult sometimes. Since he's at home, he doesn't feel like getting up and working. It's harder to get motivated when you don't have to leave the house.
My advice is to set "office hours". If you have kids, set up your area and let them know it's off limits. They wouldn't be able to talk to you and such if you were in a regular office, so keep it the same at home. The same goes for friends...sometimes DH's friend stop in while he's trying to work. Let your friends know that you are working and you'll socialize later.
Also, dress in your work clothes. If you dress in your work attire, you'll feel more professional. It's hard to get in the right state of mind when you're in pajamas and bunny slippers.
Good luck and congratulations on the new position!
Last updated 4/06/11
I work from home about 25% of the time. Also my team is global so we get 99% of our business done on the phone and e-mail.
Set up an office space so that you are not distracted by housework and such. I find one of the biggest distractions are the people that come knocking on my door during the day. I just stopped answering the door but sometimes they keep knocking! Perhaps hang a sign that says No Solicitors would cut down on that.
Plan to take regular breaks.
Set regular phone meetings with your coworkers so that you can stay in touch, discuss issues, and keep connected on a regular basis. Hallway conversations for quick questions are not going to happen, so I find it is better to have a regular meeting scheduled, even if we end up cancelling because there are no items to discuss.
BTW, I totally work in my PJs if I'm taking early meetings or comfy clothes during the day. I'm not going to wear a dry-clean only garment or something that needs to be ironed after washing so I can look professional for myself.
I have worked a field based job for almost 15 years (which means any "office days" are at my home).
Many people have a misconception of what working from home is really like. You will need to be disciplined to get your work done. There can be MANY distractions at home and you need to ensure that the time you designate as "work time" is just that .. time where you do nothing but work. If you have kids don't even think that you can effectively work and watch kids at the same time.
Set aside an area that is for work only. One of the most difficult things about working from home is separating your personal time & space from work time & space. It can become a very grey area. I can honestly say that my company gets FAR more work and hours out of me because I have a home office. If I hear the phone (I have a designated work phone) ring at off hours or if I hear an email come through (no matter what time) it's likely I'll pop over to my desk to check on it. I'm admittedly an over-worker and you should be aware of this possibility if you start working at home. There needs to be time when you literally close the door to work and start your personal time.
You should also be aware of the isolation. You will not have co-workers to chat with (other than on the phone). There's no chit-chat at the coffee machine, or at lunch time. It can be very isolating to many people. I find that I get a lot more down without all that office socializing.. but it IS a big adjustment!
As for taking lower pay because you'd be more limited at what you do.. that sounds odd to me. And, I'd ask them specifically what they feel you wouldn't be able to do. Most companies that offer telecommuting as an option have the infrastructure to support it.
You should negotiate the following things (if appropriate)
Good Luck!!!
I spent the last 4 years working from home and just started a new job where I'm in the office. I really miss being home but I do like the camaraderie of the office. I think there are pros and cons of both.
The best thing about working from home is the ability to do things like laundry and make dinner in between work. Also, saving $ on gasoline, car maintanance and work clothes.
My advice is to set a work schedule. It can be very tempting to logon early and work late when you're home. What I love about the office is turning it on and off before and after work.