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working remotely pros/cons

2,926 Views | 25 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by 500,000ags
neutics
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I have an opportunity with a new firm in the same industry (financial) to work remotely. It's an upgrade in terms of advancing my career, but on paper the compensation is about the same all things considered (401k, health etc).

Pro's - obviously I can calculate the savings of not driving 50 miles/day including some tolls, but more than that I would be 'saving' at least an hour per day currently wasted in the car. Potential for promotions and partner is also better at new firm.

Con's - one of the things I missed at a previous mega-corp was the lack of camaraderie in the office, as everyone was either in their own cubicle or working from home, with my manager and my team were all overseas. This position is at a small firm based in Texas, but spread around the state. So hopefully there would be some face to face interaction on a monthly basis.

The other consideration is whether my wife can respect my space in the home office when I'm at work. She thinks working remotely is great, but probably more from the perspective that I can pick the kid up from preschool etc.

How have some of y'all managed this transition and setting yourself up for success to work from home? Thanks
jtp01
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I work from a home office and I love it. The lack of team interaction is only as bad as you make it. Inter office calls and sales meetings are a great time to build teams. You just have to continue the engagement after training/meetings.

It's nice to walk upstairs to my office that is defined and not interrupted. There are some days with sick kiddos, that I can manage it. Other days I know I can't and the wife will stay home with them.

One word of caution, though. Make yourself stay in the routine of getting up early getting dressed for work, you will perform much better when you are dressed for work instead of your pajamas. There are some days that I get started super early and don't go through the routine and struggle to stay engaged.
IrishTxAggie
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I'm a bit different in that I am home based, but no family.

I love it. I do miss the social interaction at times, but I also travel a good bit for work, so I still get a bit of the social interaction. Some people have the dress the part from home mentality, but I'm typing this in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Everyone is different. I take advantage of the fact that a lot of my work is international and hours are a bit different to catch people. By that I mean I'll work from 6-noon to catch my Latin America and Europe customers. Go grocery shop at noon sometimes. Do reports from 1-3PM. Go to the gym at 3PM. Then I'll work again from 5-8 trying to catch some my Asian clients. Friday's I will sleep in until 8ish and check out at noon. Work from home type deals always tend to be different for each person.
PrestigeWorldwideAg12
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IrishTxAggie said:

I'm a bit different in that I am home based, but no family.

I love it. I do miss the social interaction at times, but I also travel a good bit for work, so I still get a bit of the social interaction. Some people have the dress the part from home mentality, but I'm typing this in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Everyone is different. I take advantage of the fact that a lot of my work is international and hours are a bit different to catch people. By that I mean I'll work from 6-noon to catch my Latin America and Europe customers. Go grocery shop at noon sometimes. Do reports from 1-3PM. Go to the gym at 3PM. Then I'll work again from 5-8 trying to catch some my Asian clients. Friday's I will sleep in until 8ish and check out at noon. Work from home type deals always tend to be different for each person.
what do you do?
IrishTxAggie
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PrestigeWorldwideAg12 said:

IrishTxAggie said:

I'm a bit different in that I am home based, but no family.

I love it. I do miss the social interaction at times, but I also travel a good bit for work, so I still get a bit of the social interaction. Some people have the dress the part from home mentality, but I'm typing this in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Everyone is different. I take advantage of the fact that a lot of my work is international and hours are a bit different to catch people. By that I mean I'll work from 6-noon to catch my Latin America and Europe customers. Go grocery shop at noon sometimes. Do reports from 1-3PM. Go to the gym at 3PM. Then I'll work again from 5-8 trying to catch some my Asian clients. Friday's I will sleep in until 8ish and check out at noon. Work from home type deals always tend to be different for each person.
what do you do?
I'm a director for a company that supplies specialty materials to feed additives manufacturers.
PrestigeWorldwideAg12
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IrishTxAggie said:

PrestigeWorldwideAg12 said:

IrishTxAggie said:

I'm a bit different in that I am home based, but no family.

I love it. I do miss the social interaction at times, but I also travel a good bit for work, so I still get a bit of the social interaction. Some people have the dress the part from home mentality, but I'm typing this in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Everyone is different. I take advantage of the fact that a lot of my work is international and hours are a bit different to catch people. By that I mean I'll work from 6-noon to catch my Latin America and Europe customers. Go grocery shop at noon sometimes. Do reports from 1-3PM. Go to the gym at 3PM. Then I'll work again from 5-8 trying to catch some my Asian clients. Friday's I will sleep in until 8ish and check out at noon. Work from home type deals always tend to be different for each person.
what do you do?
I'm a director for a company that supplies specialty materials to feed additives manufacturers.
Like Azelis or Bentoli?
IrishTxAggie
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GrimesCoAg95
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I enjoy working from home. If only a few people are remote, you will feel a little disconnected, however, if everyone is you don't. You will find that you occasionally have a conversation with a coworker to catch-up much like you would in the office.
jtp01
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We have an instant message system that we use and a lot of water cooler talk happens on that.

Heck I didn't see my boss in person for exactly 1 year. Sales meeting last year and the sales meeting the year before that. But he and I both are early risers and are usually on the computers 1-1/2 hours before we "open" mainly because I can get more done in that 1-1/2 hour than 6 hours during the day.

The owner of the company has driven a culture of teamwork. Heck, I ran out Monday morning to overnight some display equipment to California for a trade show and I happened to have an extra. This all happened before the owner was in the office and he was thrilled we "handled it".
PanzerAggie06
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I've been working from home for about 8 months now. I really enjoy it but it does take some getting use to and requires a certain level of discipline. Its easy to get distracted with the everyday events of life........ grocery shopping, gym, dealing with the 3 dogs, etc. I generally work from 8 to noon then take a good two hours for personal things then back at it from 2 to 5 with a couple of hours at night, usually pretty late since I tend to be a night owl.

I don't miss the personal interaction at all...... probably because I'm a introvert of sorts. I've found that 1 hour of work at home is equal to 1.5 hours in an office as you're not stopping to talk to co-workers and basically BS. One thing to take into account is the wife/husband. They may see you being at home as a sign that you will now be able to handle the household chores solely on your own. While I am able to do some things I've made it clear that my working at home does not also make me the full time maid and lawn guy. That crap is still 50/50.
JoeOlson
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I've been working from home for the last 18 months.

Pros:
  • On your best days, you are almost 2x as productive as you would be in an office setting. No distractions, you can just sit down and crank out anything you want to do.

Cons:
  • On your worst day, you are going to barely get anything done. There is no social pressure to be at the desk/going on sales calls, etc.

I definitely miss the peer interaction. I still talk with a lot of my work friends on skype and slack, but it's different when you're not experiencing life with them.

To be successful working from home; you need to be extremely self-driven and in an industry where that management interaction is not critical to reaching the top. It's a lot easier to manage when you're more developed in your career.

Also, how much travel are you willing to sign up for? What does your spouse expect to be done at the house if s/he works in an office setting?

For us, we've definitely had conflict when laundry wasn't done, dishes put away, etc. Find out what matters the most and remember that you likely have a window to do the little things (less TexAgs, youtube, etc) to manage that aspect of your relationship.

EDIT: Also, you 100% need to have a room that is a dedicated office. This will not work if you're just throwing a desk in your bedroom for example. Have some space where you work and don't let that creep into the rest of your house/apartment if at all possible. You need to be able to detach
Premium
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PanzerAggie06 said:

I've been working from home for about 8 months now. I really enjoy it but it does take some getting use to and requires a certain level of discipline. Its easy to get distracted with the everyday events of life........ grocery shopping, gym, dealing with the 3 dogs, etc. I generally work from 8 to noon then take a good two hours for personal things then back at it from 2 to 5 with a couple of hours at night, usually pretty late since I tend to be a night owl.

I don't miss the personal interaction at all...... probably because I'm a introvert of sorts. I've found that 1 hour of work at home is equal to 1.5 hours in an office as you're not stopping to talk to co-workers and basically BS. One thing to take into account is the wife/husband. They may see you being at home as a sign that you will now be able to handle the household chores solely on your own. While I am able to do some things I've made it clear that my working at home does not also make me the full time maid and lawn guy. That crap is still 50/50.


As long as you do these things in this order.

1. Establish she does maid chores
2. You do backbreaking lawn work
3. Hire lawn guy because your time off is worth more than $30
4. ???
5. Profit


6. If needed, hire a maid
Diggity
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How are you "dressing for work" at your house? Are you talking about jeans and a polo or business causal?
jtp01
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I generally dress as anyone else in my industry would.

I'm in Ag, so usually blue jeans and either a polo, or button down. I guess my statement was more about establishing a routine for "going to work".

Some days it may be as simple as shorts and a t-shirt but the idea is I shower, shave and I am ready to go. In some instances, I may have to run out to a dealership, meet with a customer or even some field work. Either way I am prepared for that and won't have to burn time to get dressed before I can leave.
chjoak
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Currently work for a O&G software company. Been here just over 8 yrs. When I started I commuted approx 45min (25mi) each way and worked in an office of 4-5 people (we have offices in several cities). As our office grew, we eventually opened a downtown office. I stayed at the original because I didn't want to add 10mi and 15-30min one way to my existing commute. Eventually they shut down my office and I was given permission to work from home. Been working from home now for almost 2 years. I go to the downtown office as needed (4-6 times per year) and to a small remote office on the west side of town 2-4 times per month.

Pros
- I get up every morning, workout, shower and head up to my office in tshirt & shorts.
- Save tons of money on gas, parking, tolls, etc...
- Save money on food. I used to buy lunch every day as I was too lazy to pack a lunch. Now I buy lunch 1-2 times per week and eat something at home the rest of the time.
- With the 1.5-2hrs per day that I have gained from not commuting I have been able to spend more time with my kids, started working out again (lost 20 lbs since Aug) and generally able to get more of my own projects done around the house.
- The occasional nooner can be quite nice

Cons
- Transition was tough. My wife is a SAHM and she had a hard time understanding that I can't drop things and do whatever she wants when she wants. Took a few months and a few reminders to get that worked out. Still have interruptions at times but she finally started to get it and leaves me to my work most of the time.
- Lack of direct interaction was tough at first but I have gotten to the point where I accomplish very little when I do go to an office now.
- It is VERY easy to get distracted, especially when things are slow. I have found myself at times watching Netflix or playing PS4 to pass the time when I have less to do, rather than seeking out other work.


Bottom line is that working from home is not for everyone. As others noted, you have to find a balance to make it work for you. My current company is kind of screwy to the point that I wouldn't mind looking for another job. My biggest issue with a possible new gig is having to give up my lack of commute. Would have an incredibly difficult time going back to a 45+ min commute everyday.
CapCity12thMan
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Use good collaboration tools. They are key to a successful remote culture. Phone and email are not enough.
Duncan Idaho
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First thing:working AT home is completely different than working FROM home. By that I mean the challenges you face at 100% remote job where you never going to the office are pretty different then having something like a sales job where you work out of your house and go places or were you allowed to work from home a couple days a week.

I have a one to two weeks on site at a client followed by 3 to 5 weeks at home arrangement. But I have been inside a company location exactly 2 times in 4 years (both times to fix a laptop issue) For the most part I like it.

I had a job that was 100% at home by myself with no office to go into, every co-worker was just a voice on a phone. Literally the only time I saw another employee of the company was when I turned in my paperwork to HR and picked up my laptop. It was absolutely horrible and I would never do that again.

So for my work at home most of the time on site some of the time job
Pros:
I can work when I want from where I want.
Zero commute
Never have to suffer a bad cup of coffee
Like someone said, your productive days are more productive than you can imagine.

Cons:
If your team crosses time zones, it is real easy to fall into really long days.
I still haven't met half my team including the guy that does my performance reviews
If you're single you can't get a little lonely
I found that career advancement was much more difficult because all you are is a voice on the phone. So no one's really in your corner and it's kind of hard to pick up those new projects that you would hear about because you're outside your boss's office
And you unproductive days are worse than you can imagine

Overall I'd say it's a net positive but it gets old after a couple of years.
Duncan Idaho
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With regards to the wife not respecting space, I have a studio light for the girlfriend. Basically a hue light that is out side the door that I turn red when I am on a call or need to focus and green when I don't care if she bothers me.
Pigtails
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Duncan Idaho said:

With regards to the wife not respecting space, I have a studio light for the girlfriend. Basically a hue light that is out side the door that I turn red when I am on a call or need to focus and green when I don't care if she bothers me.



So it's always red?
IrishTxAggie
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Pigtails said:

Duncan Idaho said:

With regards to the wife not respecting space, I have a studio light for the girlfriend. Basically a hue light that is out side the door that I turn red when I am on a call or need to focus and green when I don't care if she bothers me.



So it's always red?


Until it's time for some afternoon delight.
water turkey
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I worked remotely for 6 years for a large utility based in Florida. Boss got to work at 6 (5 my time) and would start blowing up my phone. Had colleagues in California calling me at 7 pm. For the first 6 months or so, I was working myself to death. I had to learn to keep "normal business hours" and turn the phone on. silent. Of course I responded to emergencies.

Once I got into a routine, I really enjiyed it. It's amazing how productive and resourceful when you are working on your own.

One thing to remember, being remote, you are sometimes out of sight-out if mind. You can get forgotten, especially in a big company, when you're face is not being seen daily.

I made it a practice to go out to headquarters quarterly and spend several days. My boss was good and made sure to get me in front of management as often as he could.

The company started reeling in remote employees. I didn't want to move to Florida, so moved on.
chico
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Try renting an offsite office instead of working from home. I've rented a space for the last 5 years in a shared office location about 1 mile from house. This avoids the home issues/distractions (laundry, dogs, spouse). It's a professional working environment and the others are all quiet & hard workers, though none are in my industry. The costs are tax deductible.

I'm in Houston but most of my clients are outside Houston, so I see them maybe once/year. I worked for big companies most of my career, but the change of lifestyle going this route is truly fantastic. Minimal commute, free time as needed with wife/kids, no office politics. My wife also works for herself but uses the spare bedroom in the house. Like others have said, I know when to leave her alone in there so she can focus on her business when necessary.

The shared office location solves many of the problems listed above and works quite well for me. I'd get too distracted at home!
IrishTxAggie
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Where in Houston if you don't mind me asking? Actually been thinking about this lately.
chico
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pm sent
Woods Ag
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I did EXACTLY this!

Just recently consented to hiring a maid for every other week cleaning
Woods Ag
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Wouldn't want it any other way.

- I'm 10x more efficient at home without distractions of coworkers. I am the type that can waste a day bouncing from office to office BSing.
- I can do stuff I want to do on slow days/weeks
- Deer Season
- Slow weeks make me insecure like I am not earning my wages because I am not in an office, so it spurs me on to create something.

Cons:
- Discipline. You have to figure out what works for you and stick with it. For some it's getting dressed every morning. Some it's starting every morning out at starbucks. I mix and match and change it up as I need to. I am up every morning by 4am. Workout, shower, breakfast, and by the time I'm done with all of that it's 7am and I have been brainstorming what I need to get done for 3 hours. Depending on my to-do list, I either start then or wait until the everyone elses workday begins if it's sales calls, etc.

500,000ags
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chico said:

Try renting an offsite office instead of working from home. I've rented a space for the last 5 years in a shared office location about 1 mile from house. This avoids the home issues/distractions (laundry, dogs, spouse). It's a professional working environment and the others are all quiet & hard workers, though none are in my industry. The costs are tax deductible.

I'm in Houston but most of my clients are outside Houston, so I see them maybe once/year. I worked for big companies most of my career, but the change of lifestyle going this route is truly fantastic. Minimal commute, free time as needed with wife/kids, no office politics. My wife also works for herself but uses the spare bedroom in the house. Like others have said, I know when to leave her alone in there so she can focus on her business when necessary.

The shared office location solves many of the problems listed above and works quite well for me. I'd get too distracted at home!
I've been using a co-working desk for 2 months now. Its great. It helped me create a routine as I was struggling to get going at home for about 3 months. Get to work in jeans and a t-shirt, separation of home and work, conference rooms available, surrounded by pretty-active recruiters, entrepreneurs, and independent contractors, free coffee and PBR on tap, and able to keep to myself for hours at a time for actual work still.
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