Are You Suited for Working From Home? The Top 10 Questions to Ask Yourself

Anyone considering a permanent change from working in an office to working from home should consider some basic questions to see if they’re prepared for everything that comes with the arrangement. Here are my top 10 questions the future Work From Home candidate should ask themselves:

1. Why do I want to work from home?
Be honest with yourself regarding your motivations for wanting to have this arrangement. Do any of these sound like your reasons?

• I want to catch Oprah real-time
• I want to work and simultaneously care for children (like the curious one to the right)
• I want to work less

None of the above are motivations that will work long-term for you or your employer. Hopefully your motivations are more like these:

• I want to save the commute time
• I want to have a quiet space to concentrate
• I want to avoid the office interruptions

2. Are you ready for a drastic reduction in face time with peers and management?
Most people are social animals and they thrive on interaction with others. Working from home can put a crimp in the amount of interpersonal interaction that one gets. Phone and instant messaging contact can help lessen the withdrawal, but they are no substitute.

3. Are you able to stay focused and avoid Oprah and the household chores?
There’s no harm in throwing the laundry in the washing machine, but if you can’t focus on work with household distractions surrounding you, then working from home may not work out for you.

4. Do you have a suitable workspace to work from home?
A dedicated room is best. It let’s you close yourself off from the kids and the pets as well as provide dedicated equipment and furniture.

5. Will your career opportunities become more limited if you make the change?
I’ve seen a glass ceiling in some cases when it comes to career advancement when working from home. Some of the top jobs in an organization just can’t be done from home – or at least that’s how the VP filling the position sees it. Look at the people at your company in the jobs that you want next – do they work from home?

6. Will your company provide the equipment necessary or are you prepared to make the investment?
You will need equipment and furniture to do your job effectively and comfortably. Sitting at the kitchen table can get uncomfortable after awhile. You may need to finance some of it out of your own pocket if your company will not be funding it.

7. Will the kids, pets, or the significant other become a cataclysmic distraction?
Aside from your own control over personal distractions, your family can be another great source of them.

8. Will the productivity you had in the office change without face time?
Things take longer over the phone or email compared to when they’re done in person. Be prepared to lose some efficiency.

9. How long do you anticipate the WFH arrangement to last?
Are you making a commitment measured in months, years, or your entire career? It may not matter, but it is interesting to take note of it. If you become a WFH lifer, you have some new options that you might not have contemplated before – you can get rid of an extra car, move to a city of your choice, or get that dog you couldn’t have before.

10. Have you slept on it long enough before making the commitment?
Don’t make rash decisions. I take suitable time on every important decision I make and wait to see if my stance changes with the passage of time.

photo courtesy of celila