Want
to work at home but don't want to leave your job? Telecommute!
By Stephanie Foster
Finding a work at home job is tough, especially when you have an established
career. So many work at home jobs lack benefits and don't pay as well
as your current career, while home businesses have risks all their
own. Perhaps you'd be better off just doing your current job at home.
It is possible in many cases to work at least part of the time from
home with many businesses, even if they don't yet have a formal program.
You just have to talk your boss into it.
First,
clear your mind of all the advantages of being home with your children
more. That can be your personal reason, but it's utterly irrelevant
to persuading your boss, so don't even think about that right now.
Next,
take a look at your job responsibilities. Can you honestly do them
from home, with all the distractions, lack of access to coworkers,
lack of supervision and so forth?
Now take a look at how this will impact your career. Not being in
the office can mean you will miss out on many things. Out of sight,
out of mind is a saying that is quite relevant here. You may not
want to do 100% telecommuting, so that you can continue to advance
your career and keep up on the latest information.
How
many days do you want to work from home at first? It may be easiest
to suggest only one or two to your boss, then increase as you prove
your ability. It can be hard for a boss to understand that you are
capable of working without supervision, so be prepared to only get
a limited amount of time to work from home at the start.
Write
up a proposal to show your boss that you are capable and serious
about working at home. Emphasize the benefits the business will
get, not what benefits you personally will receive. Suggest that
you work one or two days from home for a period of 90 days and then
have your productivity evaluated. Emphasize that teleworkers have
been found to be 10-30% more productive because they face fewer
interruptions, and that giving employees the option of telecommuting
leads to happier employees. Remind him or her that with current
technology, you can still be easily reached by phone or email.
Take
a look at the case studies at http://www.CommuterChallenge.org for
more help in planning your telecommuting proposal.
Finally,
don't forget to make sure your family understands that when you
are working from home, you are WORKING, and they should not disturb
you unnecessarily. Their support is just as vital as that of your
boss. It is an all too common problem that people think you are
not really working when you are home. Be firm and reasonable.
Stephanie
Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows
that there's more to staying home with your family than just business.
From money saving tips to parenting and marriage tips, to work at
home jobs and businesses, you can get information and support here.
You can visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com.
Want to
work at home but don't want to leave your job? Telecommute!
Finding a work at home job is tough, especially when you have an established
career. So many work at home jobs lack benefits and don't pay as well
as your current career, while home businesses have risks all their
own. Perhaps you'd be better off just doing your current job at home.
It is possible in many cases to work at least part of the time from
home with many businesses, even if they don't yet have a formal program.
You just have to talk your boss into it.
First,
clear your mind of all the advantages of being home with your children
more. That can be your personal reason, but it's utterly irrelevant
to persuading your boss, so don't even think about that right now.
Next,
take a look at your job responsibilities. Can you honestly do them
from home, with all the distractions, lack of access to coworkers,
lack of supervision and so forth?
Now take a look at how this will impact your career. Not being in
the office can mean you will miss out on many things. Out of sight,
out of mind is a saying that is quite relevant here. You may not
want to do 100% telecommuting, so that you can continue to advance
your career and keep up on the latest information.
How
many days do you want to work from home at first? It may be easiest
to suggest only one or two to your boss, then increase as you prove
your ability. It can be hard for a boss to understand that you are
capable of working without supervision, so be prepared to only get
a limited amount of time to work from home at the start.
Write
up a proposal to show your boss that you are capable and serious
about working at home. Emphasize the benefits the business will
get, not what benefits you personally will receive. Suggest that
you work one or two days from home for a period of 90 days and then
have your productivity evaluated. Emphasize that teleworkers have
been found to be 10-30% more productive because they face fewer
interruptions, and that giving employees the option of telecommuting
leads to happier employees. Remind him or her that with current
technology, you can still be easily reached by phone or email.
Take
a look at the case studies at http://www.CommuterChallenge.org
for more help in planning your telecommuting proposal.
Finally,
don't forget to make sure your family understands that when you
are working from home, you are WORKING, and they should not disturb
you unnecessarily. Their support is just as vital as that of your
boss. It is an all too common problem that people think you are
not really working when you are home. Be firm and reasonable.
Stephanie
Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows
that there's more to staying home with your family than just business.
From money saving tips to parenting and marriage tips, to work at
home jobs and businesses, you can get information and support here.
You can visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com.
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