Is working from home right for you?

Sure, there are advantages to getting to work from home, but every coin has another side. Read on to find out if working home is right for you.

Have you had enough of traffic jams every morning and evening, getting up at 5 a.m., and working in a place where the daily grind is taking its toll on you? Why not consider working directly from home?

It’s true that more and more employers are open to the possibility, but you still have a lot of convincing to do if you want to be allowed to work from home.

• Evidence suggests that employees who work from home are more productive. There are fewer interruptions, less inter-office chit-chat, less noise and fewer coffee and cigarette breaks. All of these factors contribute to better performance.
• It allows parents to balance work and family more easily, and at the same time increases company loyalty and employee well-being.
• Employees are also grateful. They are more likely to go above and beyond to show their appreciation, which is certainly to the advantage of the employer.

However, work needs to get done, where conflict can arise. You must be trustworthy and have a boss who's open enough to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Before approaching your boss in the hopes of being allowed to work from home, ask yourself a few questions:

• Am I disciplined enough? Will I get up, not watch television or surf the Internet freely, take a nap or run a few personal errands?
• Will I panic if I have no social life?
• Is my role at work autonomous enough that I can avoid constantly calling colleagues or checking in on them for updates?
• Will I be able to set boundaries? Working from home can easily lead to overflow, overtime and an inability to say no.

Not all workplaces or jobs are appropriate for telecommuting. Start by exploring job opportunities to work from home. You may also consider going into business for yourself.

Here are some jobs that can be done from home:

• Office work (data entry, accounting, administration, marketing, advertising)
• Writing/translating/editing, including technical white papers and copy editing for news and media channels
• Programming
• Telemarketing
• Mentoring, tutoring and life coaching
• In-home daycare
• Pet grooming
• Kennel and pet boarding
• Cosmetics and hairdressing