Oh how I love working from home.
I don’t have to wear business-dress, I can be with my dog all day, I can have my beloved Radio 4 on in the background, I can answer the door to take in parcels, from my position here in the kitchen I can provide my very own neighbourhood watch to view my street’s comings and goings, in summer months I can set up shop in the garden, I can drink good-quality coffee whenever I want it, I can . . .
Wait. Speedy application of brakes. Hold on a moment.
OK, they’re the nice to haves, the benefits to me in being able to hang out in my own home while doing the job I love.
But if honest? I wouldn’t do it if there weren’t positive benefits for the greater good. And while I have a fabulous boss who supports me to work here when I need to, he’s entirely right to expect some value from it.
I’m one of those people who’s long liked working from home. Not every day, because on a regular basis I prefer the cut and thrust of a busy office and the people in it. And I’m so highly disciplined about it, and wax lyrical to so many people about how much I love it that I’m probably annoyingly irritating in my smugness.
But smugness aside, I am in touch with the outside world enough to know that not everyone’s job role can transfer easily to the occasional working-from-home day, and if you feel it might be possible for you, or a colleague, to take advantage of telecommuting, outworking, teleworking or homeworking, let me share with you what 2 recent consecutive days of working from home have really meant for me:
- I’ve taken part in a Webinar
- I’ve had quality (and long) phone conversations with 5 people
- I’ve cleared some significant items on an alarmingly long to do list
- I’ve resolved an issue I was puzzling over by allowing myself a few quiet minutes to give it some serious thought
- I’ve answered a larger amount of emails than normal
- I’ve planned some calendar dates for events that I’d been putting off
- I’ve got to grips with the start of a new project
- I’ve proactively sought some feedback from senior managers at the start of another significant piece of work
- I’ve conducted two coaching sessions over Skype
- I’ve momentarily stepped outside that high extravert world I normally work in, which often causes me to become distracted (usually in a good way, though acknowledging it can be draining)
- I’ve reflected
- I’ve prioritised
- I’ve recharged.
And I’ll take all these benefits with me back into the office next time I’m there.
A chat with someone today really got me thinking about opportunities we have to do things differently in business. We talked about the different look and feel a particular area of our own organisation has about it, based on over a decade of true partnership working. We acknowledged that huge changes that have already taken place – and are still coming our way – will force us, continually, to look at individual roles and ensure that they’re fit for purpose, meeting the needs of our customers.
And it made me think about how working from home has transformed my role.
Getting over technical challenges, issues around confidentiality and security, and simply a new, different way of working, are in truth quick wins. I am lucky to have a manager who understands the value of working from home, and supports me to do this.
And while I’m not often too directive (as a coach, I prefer to let people work it out for themselves) just on this one occasion, can I please say that based on my experience, working from home is a powerful option in your toolkit, and one you could do well to consider – perhaps for yourself, maybe for someone you manage.
ChristineWilkinsonCoaching 