Whether you work from home through choice or necessity, whether you’re an employer, an employee, or you run your own business, there is no doubting the fact that home working is becoming much more normalized. Whereas in the past it was something that was a rare find, something that would be unusual and unexpected, today many workers shy away from jobs that don’t offer at least the opportunity to work from home sometimes, and ideally full-time.
Yet for those who have never experienced it before or who are considering trying it out either as an employer or an employer, there are many myths about home working that might be causing you problems. They might be making you think it’s not such a great idea. So, let’s look at those myths debunk them where we can so you can go into working from home in a much more positive way.
It’s Fine to Work from The Couch
Although no law says you have to work from a desk with a good chair and comfortable lighting, and you can work from the couch, or even from bed if you prefer, it’s not a good idea.
If you want to be productive and produce high-quality work, having a dedicated workspace – ideally a desk and chair that have been ergonomically designed – is the best option. However, moving locations throughout the day if you need a change of scenery and a break from your desk can be a good idea, as long as the bulk of your work is done in your workspace.
Customer Service Declines
As any business owner will know, customer service is the cornerstone of any successful business. Surely when everyone is working from home, the service level given to customers is going to decline?
This is not the case if you have everything set up to help customers specifically. Firstly, your website should be up to date and working well. Make sure all the information anyone could need is on there, and the majority of people won’t need to contact you at all. Next, you can use Virtual Headquarters for call answering so that, should anyone need to get in touch, there is always someone to answer their call and give them information. Having a virtual office like this can solve many customer service issues and allow your staff to work from home with no issues.
It’s Too Distracting to Get Anything Done at Home
Your home will certainly have many more distractions in it. You’ll have your TV, radio, the internet, other people, all the items that relate to any hobby you might have, books, and more. However, these things don’t have to be distracting as long as you don’t let them be.
This is why a dedicated office space with a door that can close you off from the rest of the house is perfect since those distractions are much less of an issue.
Even if you can’t do this, with practice, you will be able to focus on your work during work time and your home life during home time. Having a proper distinction between the two is a great way to do this.
Anyone Can Work from Home
The idea that anyone can work from home is just not correct. Firstly, not all jobs allow for home working – think of people who work closely with others, such as medical staff and beauty therapists. However, even if your job would allow you to work from home, which doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for you to do. Just as some people are unable to thrive in an office environment with other people around them, some people can’t be productive when working from home.
If this is the case, you’ll need to find a job that doesn’t require home working. Despite how popular the idea is, it’s still not something that every business does. If you find a great job that doesn’t have an office for you to go to, you could rent a space in a shared office instead. This could be the perfect compromise.
There Are No Deadlines
Even though you are working from home, there will still be deadlines to adhere to. Businesses can’t survive without deadlines as nothing would get done at all. However, you can work at any time you want to in some cases, perhaps starting early to finish early, or starting late to finish late. Some employers won’t mind this as long as your deadlines are still met.