We answer the question, and discuss some of the implications of a working from home to gain a better work-life balance. What are the pitfalls, and how can you avoid them?
Technology can help, but can it add as much to the work-life balance as it can take away? Working from home requires self-discipline. Even though you can work when you want, spend more time talking with your spouse or looking after or playing with your children, there is the temptation to take time off during the day and work in the evenings. For a single bloke it’s not a problem. It’s still convenient, even if you have a family. But wouldn’t it defeat the benefits if you work odd hours, and don’t get to see your partner more often?
There is also the matter of managing expectations. If you begin working regularly in the evenings, what could be the effect? Colleagues will begin to make telephone calls during those times, and perhaps even find you working long hours. Research suggests, anyway, that home-workers often spend more time working on their various projects than they need to – often without charging clients or employers for the additional time spent on them. So what do you need to do? Agree your work-life parameters, but without making them inflexible.
There are solutions out there to help manage remote workforces. Presence is a new unified communications feature, for example, which allows employers to keep tabs on their home-working staff. “From your PC dashboard you can see a directory of staff, which shows people’s location and availability, and whether they are contactable not just for staff in the office but for remote home-workers too”, says Frost.
He adds, “This also encourages more of a team spirit which brings distant staff together and with the use of video calls you can even have face to face meeting from your desktop.” Have you found this to be true, and what impact does this have on expectations, responsiveness to customers and staff performance?
What are your tips regarding the management of expectations, ensuring that there is truly a better work-life balance.