No 83 December 2005 When You Work From HomeBy Barbara Hemphill Excerpted from Taming the Paper Tiger at Work An increasing number of people are discovering the pleasure—and challenges—of working in a home office. According to Link Resources, a market-research firm in New York City, nearly 60 million Americans were working at home in 1998. Most are entrepreneurs, but the greatest growth is a result of telecommuters who are based at home while working for a company. Take It From One Who Knows When you work at home, often the biggest challenge in staying organised and managing your time is convincing others that you're working! Assertive behaviour is essential. If a friend calls to chat about personal business at 10:00 a.m., politely say, "I'm in the middle of a work project right now. May I call you this evening?" In the case of children, explain what you are doing as clearly as you can and establish some physical sign to indicate when you are working and not to be disturbed except in emergencies. A closed door works wonders! Don't try to be a supervision parent and a professional at the same time. Consider hiring a teenage neighbour or senior citizen to provide day care, whether in your home or theirs. (Consult your accountant about any possible tax implications.) Make a commitment to spend specific time with your children. Be sure to honour your promise. A Real Office For Real Work Just having a home office isn't enough to guarantee that you'll get work done there. If you haven't designed your space to suit your needs and your personality, with the right tools in the right places, your productivity and peace of mind will suffer. Obviously, many of the decisions you make regarding your home office will be based on finances, but even if yours are limited there are numerous possibilities. Consider your comfort The first step is to choose a comfortable place to work, and most importantly, a place you like to be. If you like sunshine or have allergies to mold, the basement is probably not a viable choice. I was once hired by a woman who had a beautiful custom-built home—including a well-designed office that, she reluctantly admitted, she rarely used. When I walked into her home, I immediately understood why. The dining room table (where her papers were spread) was in front of a window that overlooked a beautiful lake—while the view from her desk was a cluttered bulletin board. Pay attention to your furniture The roll-top desk you inherited from your grandfather may be gorgeous, but if you have difficulty keeping track of papers in it, or don't have room for your computer and keyboard, it could spell disaster. Furniture that is functional and comfortable is essential. Your desk is crucial to your work. For most people, the bigger, the better. An L-shape is preferable for using a computer or typewriter. Most people find it easier to organise their work area if the desk has at least one file drawer. Good-quality filing cabinets are essential Two-drawer lateral files that create counter space for equipment such as a photocopier and fax machine are often a very practical use of space. One client who used her dining room for an office purchased beautiful wooden filing cabinets that matched her Scandinavian furniture and could be used as a side table for serving food when she has guests. If your home office area is too small to accommodate tall file cabinets you need, put them in some other location in the house, and put a "To File" box on or near your desk to gather papers that you'll take to that location. As a last resort, consider off-site storage, but only for those reference files that you are least likely to use any time soon. You don't want to run down to the storage centre very often. Besides, if those files are expendable enough that you'd consider placing them in off-site storage, think about disposing of them, unless they have long-term tax or other legal implications. By all means, avoid using an off-site location to store postponed decisions! Make sure that storage space is worth what it costs you. Phoning from and away from home Having enough telephone lines and selecting the right equipment is also an important issue. Although technology now makes it possible to use one phone line in a variety of ways, such as different rings for different recipients, fax machines, and online service, most home businesses need a minimum of two lines—one for personal use and one for business. You can use your personal line for outgoing calls so you don't tie up your business line for customers trying to reach you, and you can put your fax machine on your personal line. Many people who have a home office need more than one business line—particularly if clients call frequently. To determine how many lines you really need, consider how many phone-related activities might happen at once.
When selecting telephone equipment, you may find cordless phones convenient, but make sure you don't sacrifice quality of sound. Aside from your need to communicate easily and well, you don't want to give your clients the impression that when working at home, you're working second-rate. No need to miss messages One major "phone issue" is call coverage—what happens if you can't answer the phone and there's no one to back you up? The obvious solution is a separate "business" answering machine. If you travel or are out of the office frequently, be sure to select one that has a "remote" feature that allows you to check your incoming messages and change your outgoing message from an off-site location. Another option is to choose a voice mail service provided by your telephone company (look under "Business Services" in you local telephone directory) or a separate company (look under "Telephone Answering Service" in the Yellow Pages). In addition to your regular number, you may wish to use an "0800" number assigned to a separate telephone line, so you can track calls you receive. For a few additional dollars a month, you can have the 0800 number ring right on your regular line. Cellular phones and pagers are becoming standard equipment with business owners. But be careful! Being responsive to your customers is one thing, but becoming a slave to your technology is not in the interest of your personal well-being in the long run. I have both a cell phone and a pager-but neither number is published. Home-Office Equipment Basics Your computer In this day and age, a home office without a computer would be rather like a car without an engine! That doesn't necessarily mean that you have to have the latest and greatest. That would be an endless game, because it's nearly impossible to keep pace with technological advances. However, don't do yourself a disservice in the long run so you can save money in the short run. Whatever computer you purchase should have enough memory and speed to run the software that you need to do your job efficiently. And it's smart to purchase the most equipment you can afford so you can keep up with new versions of your software without having to purchase every new generation of hardware. To determine what you really need, first identify what kind of activities are important to you and where you'll do them:
Then the question is whether your computers need to be networked. Do they need to talk to each other, or can you use each computer for specific activities, and transfer information from one computer to another by disk when necessary. Keep in mind that the purchase of the machine is a small percentage of the actual costs of a computer. You also have to include the cost of the software and other equipment you may need, as well as costs incurred in setting up and learning the system. Although you may be able to do that by using books and manuals, you may find it easier (and cheaper in the long run) to hire a consultant. He or she can help you purchase and set up a system that meets your needs, provide you with training, propose and install upgrades when appropriate, troubleshoot and just generally help you avoid a lot of personal and professional teeth-grinding. Fax machines Because I send and receive several faxes per day, I prefer a free-standing fax machine with a "dedicated" line. I purchased a fax machine with a telephone handset, so I can use it as an additional telephone if I have to. If most of the faxes you send will be created on your computer, a modem and fax software package may be all you need. I use both methods. A copy machine The first piece of office equipment I purchased was a copy machine—and I've never been sorry. One of my favourite networking activities is sending copies of favourite articles, with my business card and/or a short note attached, to clients or potential clients. My photocopy machine makes that a snap. Multiple function machines can combine all or some of the above activities. The Alternative: Office Support Services This is one of the fastest-growing industries today. This can include everything from renting office space in a building with many other offices, with answering services, mail rooms, conference rooms, and a variety of equipment at your disposal. There are also companies where you can rent a post office box, use printing and mailing services, and rent equipment such as computers and printers by the hour. Don't Skimp On Supplies Be sure to have all the office supplies you need. A quick recipe for panic—and increased cost—is discovering that you're out of letterhead in the middle of printing a major proposal. Always have on hand extra toner cartridges for printers and copy machines. Keep a running shopping list for supplies you need to purchase—make a note when you use the next to last roll of fax paper, so you don't have to make emergency shopping trips. Keep the list in an easily accessible place, such as your "Errands" action file, or posted inside the supply closet door. Make sure anyone else who works in your office knows where your shopping list is—and uses it! Don't Get Clobbered By the Personal Touch Seven Most Common Home Office Mistakes
Have you thought ……
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