I was talking to a family member recently, and the subject of work was brought up. She said,
“It must be great to work at home. You can do whatever you want all day”. I gently reminded her that while I have more flexibility in my schedule, I do indeed work (usually 40+ hours a week). While it’s great, it’s still work.
Here are a few more funny comments/questions I’ve heard regarding working at home:
- It must be nice working from bed.
Yes. When I was 41 weeks pregnant, I kept my feet up in bed every morning while I worked on my laptop. Now that I’m not pregnant anymore, I only get up from bed to use the bathroom.
No…company policy dictates proper foot attire must be worn at all times. During video conferences, my boss makes me point my webcam at my feet to make sure I’m following the rules.
- Since you don’t have to work around people, do you take a shower everyday?
Once I realized how much time I saved by not commuting, I looked for other ways to maximize my time. I contemplated ditching my personal hygiene routine all-together, but then I remembered my husband has to sleep with me…and I’d like to keep it that way.
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Due to a new project starting this week, I will spend some heavy duty time on conference calls. Since I work at home, and the people I “meet” with are in an office, I take extra care to ensure that my meetings go smoothly.
Here are several tips to “mind your manners” while on a call from your home office.
- Pick a quiet place. Make sure that your meeting participants can’t hear your dog barking or children crying.
- Avoid using speaker or cell phones. Speaker phones introduce background noises, and cell phones can introduce static or drop the call.
- Disable call waiting. If you receive another call during your conference, others may hear a tone or interruption when you’re speaking. Check with your phone provider to learn how to disable this feature.
- Turn off cell phone, PDA, and mute your IM. You may think your new ring tone or IM notification is cool, but no one wants to hear it during the call.
- Keep noises to a minimum. Noises like…shuffling papers, tapping your pen, typing on the keyboard, smacking your lips while eating or drinking, are distracting. You may think no one else can hear these noises, trust me they can…and it drives people crazy!
- Be on time. In business, it’s not fashionable to be late. Time is a precious commodity. It is rude to waste other’s time by making them wait for you.
- Don’t assume others automatically recognize your voice. Make sure to introduce yourself at the beginning of the call and again when you address someone.
- Use Mute wisely. It’s ok to use the mute button if you need to, just remember to take your phone off mute before you speak!
- Listen well. Resist the temptation to read or type e-mails, work on documents, or do anything else that can distract you. Imagine the embarrassment if someone asks for your input and you have no idea what they said!
By using common sense and being considerate towards others, you will project professionalism even if you’re working at home in your slippers!
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Yesterday, I was on a conference call until 7pm. Not only did Dad “man the fort” he had seven kids (my son had two friends sleep over) and dinner to manage!
I want to shout out to the world how awesome my husband is!
His amazing support is what makes my working at home a reality. There are many things I appreciate about my husband, but one biggie is helping me with the kids and house stuff (yes ladies…he does laundry!) while I work.
Dad also works at home, although he enjoys more flexibility since he works for himself. As with other areas of our marriage, our work lives are balanced by give and take. He takes care of the baby and laundry during the daytime, and then I take over so he can work on evenings and weekends. Our arrangement works out great.
Are you married and work at home? Is your spouse supportive of your work at home effort?
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