Working from home is increasingly the choice of a large percentage of the workforce. However, it is not an easy decision to take, and takes some doing to ensure you remain focused.
So, What does it mean to work from home? Working from home is when an employee does a job from the comfort of his or her home rather than coming to the office and being an on-site worker. This is also known as ‘remote work’. By its very definition, not all kinds of jobs are suitable to do from home. However, an increasing number of people are now more inclined towards this option to build a career. They are ready to acquire further qualifications and make changes in their routines and expectations in order to avail to the advantages of remote work.
Who are the different types of remote workers?
A remote worker is one who spends more than 20% of his/her time working from home. This kind of work is gaining popularity in our times. The advent of internet has made this very easy. Sharing work with the company and keeping to timely delivery requirements has been eased with various kinds of software.
There are different kinds of remote worker categories. They are listed as below:
- Full time worker. The name rather suggests nature of the job here. This worker chooses to work full time for a company from home. They enjoy the flexibility of time in this setting. Financially they are almost at par with on-site workers. This is the most common category of at-home workers.
- Moonlight worker. A moonlight worker works for one company on-site and for an entirely different one from home. This way not only ensures better payments but also more interesting and diverse work profile.
- Freelance worker. This type of remote or home worker chooses to work at his/her convenience for multiple clients. They work from one project to another and get paid hourly or on a fixed price basis.
- Diversified remote worker. This category of worker works at the same job but he switches between home and on-site depending upon his requirements.
- Remote owner. Unlike a traditional owner, these people operate online. They manage flow of work from a remote location. They mostly prefer to work with remote workers.
What are the advantages of working from home?
There is a reason why more and more people are opting to work from home. In fact there are many reasons for this. Let us have a passing look at some of these.
- Flexibility. The main reason why people choose working from home is the flexibility it offers. You get to choose your place of work and move around too, when the boredom gets to you. Then there is the time flexibility. I love getting going early in the morning, before the household is up, do a sizeable chunk of work, and then take a break. Some others would prefer to begin later and put in longer hours. This extreme flexibility is unthinkable on an on-site job.
- Cost savings. Not only does one save on commute expenses but also in terms of wardrobe. An on-site job requires you to be turned out a certain way, and then keep it up by adding and altering your wardrobe. Working from home, you can get away with pyjamas for no one cares.
- More time for family. With being around home, you get to be there for your children or spouse or parents that much more. It is an assuring thought that you are just a door away. Both for your family as well as yourself.
- Time saving. A huge chunk of time goes in the daily commute for on-site workers. Going to and from work daily is a job unto itself. This time saved can be effectively utilized at home.
- Wide choice of jobs. More and more jobs are going online these days. This has opened up the work from home job vista like never before. Most of these jobs do not require much in the way of setting your home up. From ones requiring technical knowledge to those that can be done with a little training on the side, the choices are endless.
Some pointers when working from home
How does one deal with monotony? One of the main problems of working from home is the boredom that sets in after a period of time. After all, you only have yourself and the computer for the company. Most of the interaction in a work from home situation is virtual in nature. This can cause monotony and depression to set in. And that, in turn, can have severe repercussions in some people. Make sure you find ways to counter this aspect. Taking frequent timed breaks and engaging in
How regular or assured are payments? Any established company will have a history of timely payments. However, it is for you to take the final call before committing to work
Is a transition to on-site work easy and/or feasible? People tend to get laid back in a home setting and rather used to the comforts that it provides. This can make a transition back to on-site a bit of a challenge. That is not to say it cannot be done. It is upon you to condition yourself mentally to meet the challenge and make a success of it.
As discussed above, there are many aspects to working from home. It is not hard at all to set up home in order to begin work. A detailed read of