The problems of working at home

Not everyone works from home. In fact, most people don't. But I'll bet that a lot of those people who don't, wish that they did. Well, I work from home, and if they want to work from home, I'll gladly switch places with them. Your home is possibly the worst place you could ever work.

First of all, there are the distractions. When you're in an office all day, there are still distractions, but chances are you won't be taken away from earning your paycheque because of laundry or the dishes. And if you think annoying co-workers are a distraction, just try working from home when you live with parents, siblings, or kids. You won't have much peace for cranking out code for that project...

Second, of course, is the lack of oversight to make sure you're doing your work. "But Chris," you say, "there's not much supervision at my office anyway, letting me read your blog or do online shopping from my cube." You might think that, but your co-workers probably know what you're up to, even if you don't tell them. So might your boss. You might just be getting away with it for now. At home, you're much more likely to do so, and end up screwing your job if you're not careful.

Third is the lack of communication. If your job is primarily anti-social, or at least asocial, then this might not be a problem. But if you're working in teams, it hurts not being able to communicate with your teammates regularly, face-to-face. Trying to communicate via phone is painful enough, but possible if needed. However, all the people will have to go by is the sound of your voice, missing out on potential visual cues which are always there. If you're using an instant messenger, then your oral cues are missing too, and you better be good at providing context or communication becomes a lot more painful.

So to all of you working in an office, I'd just like to let you know that you've got it better than you think. Working from home is no picnic, despite how it might seem.