Home Working

[Doug Gardiner]

I am after tips on home working.. It suits me it suits my line of business, but it seems even though I am a very capable individual. Unlike a lorry or taxi driver, Stereotyping means employers expect me to be diligent and arrive at the office on time and sit bound to a desk in their offices for 40 hrs a week. How do I get the message across I work much better and am far more productive without being micro managed?

 

[SetupaCompany]

Well that is a very difficult one as the majority of businesses will want their employees to be based at least partly from their office as not only does it mean they can ensure you are doing the job they are paying you for but it can also improve communication with other staff members.

Whilst you may be the most reliable and hard-working 'home office' employee they will ever find - you will probably have to prove that to them by gaining their trust over time rather than just demanding you work from home from the beginning.

I would perhaps try and suggest to the company that you will only work from the office for say 3 days a week and the other 2 you would like to work from home pending a review after a couple of months where, subject to performance you can increase the amount of time you work from home.

Keep in mind though that the decision may not be personal. If a company will not allow you to work from home, it doesn't necessarily mean they do not trust you or want to micro-manage you - it may simply be that they do not want to set a precedence that would mean other, perhaps less trustworthy, members of staff asking if they can also work from home.

 

[Doug Gardiner]

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[Doug Gardiner]

The key words in your answer are "trust & confidence" if I have to build confidence and they employ untrustworthy staff a bullying manager for example or think I am untrustworthy, then the mutual "trust and confidence" relation ship between employer and employee has never been established. This is not good and is probably the reason I want to stay at home..

 

[LouisGi]

That's very difficult to manage, I think you should try to do your own business...
By the way what's your profession?

 

[SetupaCompany]

The key words in your answer are "trust & confidence" if I have to build confidence and they employ untrustworthy staff a bullying manager for example or think I am untrustworthy, then the mutual "trust and confidence" relation ship between employer and employee has never been established. This is not good and is probably the reason I want to stay at home..

I think not wanting to work from the office and wanting to work from home are two completely different things.

If your reason for wanting to work from home is simply because you do not want to work from the office due to a bad atmosphere or poor relationship with other staff members then I think that is something that needs you to sit down with your manager (or his manager if the manager is the problem) and put forward your concerns in a considered and diplomatic way.

If they fail to take action and you are really that unhappy that you cannot face working from the office then I would suggest it may be time to start seeking employment elsewhere and putting up with things until you do.

Ultimately though, if they are worth working for then they will listen to your concerns and try and work with you to find a solution that works for you both.

 

[Doug Gardiner]

I am a design engineer, I really need an old style library type environment to produce my best work.. I'm working on my own company for the first time after 30 years of office based work....

 

[Doug Gardiner]

Very good....they were not worth working for.. hence my wish to work from home..

 

[SetupaCompany]

Just as a thought - do you think they would be open for you freelancing for them?

In other words, you start your own freelance company and they become your first client. A lot would depend on how much they value you and what benefits you can offer them over a full-time permanent employee but may be worth considering.

That way you can dictate your terms better and if the company really are that bad, then over time you can bring in other clients and eventually stop working for them.

 

[Doug Gardiner]

I would have tried this approach with my former employers but they threw the rule book at me. As you probably know when company lawyers get involved, for an individual, a new job or ill health are the only options.

I have successfully freelanced for others to high acclaim, but it seems to get any lengthy contracts of meaningful value, even as a contractor employers prefer office based people.

Tackling long term disability (Mental illness) and moving about Europe for work are not well matched..

 

[sjbeale]

Different employers have different points of view so that some employers see the benefits of homeworking others don't. I think if you want to have the work and get paid you must accept the terms of the employer you are working for. Perhaps you could start off by accepting their terms then perhaps request the odd day working from home and see if that works.

 

[Doug Gardiner]

I agree, different but work has different demands,
A chef for example has to be in the kitchen.
In my work I can operate to targets any where in the world with a broadband connection. So can and do many others.