If you have a job that requires a lot of time on the telephone, you should probably make arrangements for your children to be cared for outside of your home during the hours you are on the phone. If you are lucky enough to have an employer pay you to work from home, you don't want to blow it by having customers or coworkers complain about the screaming children in the background. Some people are understanding about this, but trust me, not everybody is.
There were times when one of my children was sick and had to stay home, or I had a problem and didn't have a sitter for a day or a week. I would talk to my supervisor as soon as I knew of the problem. We usually worked out that rather than taking personal or sick days, I would work as best as I could. It is vital in these situations to be honest with your employer. If you have a reasonable supervisor, he or she would probably rather have you working, even if it can't be a full day.
If you don't need to be on the phone and your job allows flexibility with your hours, then you may be able to work while your children are at home. This depends on the age and temperament of your kids (and you, too!) You know your family and yourself better than I do. If you can get your job done, and provide your children with activities to keep them busy while you get some work done-go for it!
The Best of Both Worlds
The last company that I worked for was bought out and I was not sure how secure my future would be with the new company. I knew that they had an office close to where I live, so they probably would have insisted that I work in the office full time. That was not acceptable to me.
A new opportunity presented itself to me while I was still employed. The new employer is someone I have known for a long time and knew of my situation. Before I had my formal interview, I let him know that I could not work full time in an office. We worked out an arrangement that seems to be working for both of us. I go into the office in the mornings and I do what I can't do from home. I am usually there for about three hours and then I come home and work the rest of the day from here.
At first I was worried about going to an office every day, but I've been pleasantly surprised. I feel that I have the best of both worlds. I work with people that I like and it really is nice to see adults every day and have that camaraderie that I didn't have when I was alone all day long. But after a few hours, I am back home again and I am here to get my son off the bus. It also works out with appointments, volunteering at school or any other number of things that are just too difficult to do when you are in an office full time. And my new employer understands that things happen and I can't always make it into the office at all. On those occasions I work from home. I try to always have at least one day's worth of work, just in case.
If you have been contacted by potential employers and you are in a good negotiating position this is something you could try to work out for yourself. As I've mentioned many times, you will have to demonstrate your self discipline and independence.
A new opportunity presented itself to me while I was still employed. The new employer is someone I have known for a long time and knew of my situation. Before I had my formal interview, I let him know that I could not work full time in an office. We worked out an arrangement that seems to be working for both of us. I go into the office in the mornings and I do what I can't do from home. I am usually there for about three hours and then I come home and work the rest of the day from here.
At first I was worried about going to an office every day, but I've been pleasantly surprised. I feel that I have the best of both worlds. I work with people that I like and it really is nice to see adults every day and have that camaraderie that I didn't have when I was alone all day long. But after a few hours, I am back home again and I am here to get my son off the bus. It also works out with appointments, volunteering at school or any other number of things that are just too difficult to do when you are in an office full time. And my new employer understands that things happen and I can't always make it into the office at all. On those occasions I work from home. I try to always have at least one day's worth of work, just in case.
If you have been contacted by potential employers and you are in a good negotiating position this is something you could try to work out for yourself. As I've mentioned many times, you will have to demonstrate your self discipline and independence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)