Work at Home: Why Would You Want to?

Men and women alike have joined the growing numbers of work at home employees.  It’s especially appealing to whoever takes the primary caregiver role, often (but not always) known as “Mom.”  It makes sense on the surface.  Even the most dedicated, disciplined worker can step away long enough to pull chicken out of the freezer to thaw or put the laundry forward.  If you worked from home, you wouldn’t go through that agonizing choice when your kid is sick (Go to work, you feel guilty.  Stay home with him, you feel guilty).

That’s exactly why employers hesitate to initiate work at home options.  When you’re on the clock, they don’t want you taking care of your sick kid.  Naturally, you know you would get your eight plus hours in, even if there were short interruptions to de-pukify his bedding and best bear friend.  You’d work late if you had to, and be darn grateful for the opportunity.

The kid wins.  The boss wins.

You lose.

As it turns out, the majority of telecommuters are people in their late forties.

Having trouble concentrating? Why?

There may be a good, solid reason for that.  I know your life seems to demand that you are infinitely capable, but you aren’t.  You can only stretch so far, at least at any given moment.

If you have little guys or other complicated responsibilities, the idea of working at home probably sounds more appealing than it will at any other time in your life.  Of any of the times in your life, this might be the worst time to try it.  Of course a number of  factors go into this:  the nature of the work, the good nature of your boss, and the tendencies of your kids or complicated responsibilities.  But please take the time to really look at the pros and cons.  And if the single pro is, “Oh, those are the cons?  Well, I’ll just have to handle them,” then you might be on the wrong track.