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Working from Home

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    #32
    wmahcm
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 75 ✭✭wmahcm


    strandroad wrote: »
    I wish it was true but it's not. The medium might change but people are still people. It can be even worse remotely - in a real office you can make up an excuse and walk away, but it's much harder to drop out of an awkward call. Politics just move online.

    I didn't find that at all, nor did many of my colleagues, like myself they noted a markedly better output and efficiency and avoided a large proportion of time wasting nonsense and micromanaging interference interruption and politics that goes on in many offices. Sure it's not for everyone . . but it offers huge benefits to both the self motivated individual and the companies that apply it properly and make it work as it's intended to.


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    #33
    El Tarangu
    Registered Users Posts: 1,615 ✭✭✭El Tarangu


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Unless you live alone, many companies require a separate lockable office which you commit to using for work and not allowing other members of the household in to.

    OP, investigate co-working spaces in your target area.

    This doesn't make any sense - if your home (without a lockable office) doesn't meet the security requirements, how would a co-working space? Unless the distance-worker carries their laptop with them every time they go to the toilet.


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    #34
    jimmurt
    Registered Users Posts: 367 ✭✭jimmurt


    Gael23 wrote: »
    I have the capability to work remotely so I am considering leaving Dublin in order to be able to buy my own house.

    Financially, it’s hard to argue with the numbers but something that’s putting me off is the thought of being so isolated. I work in an office of 60 people so being in a room alone all day long would be a huge change.

    Has anyone done similar got advice/tips to make it work?

    I worked form home 7 months last year and a little more the previous year.

    It´s very tough socially to be honest. I would suggest maybe trying to meet up with someone for your morning break or even go down to your local pub for a coffee and a chat.

    Also it´s a good idea to go for a walk at lunctime and maybe in the afternoon too.

    I´m in a better situation now than before, a friend who lives nearby is in similar position and also I get out and about most days during lunch.


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    #35
    Phibsboro
    Registered Users Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭Phibsboro


    I work from home pretty much exclusively these days, and I love it. As others have said you have to disciplined about your working hours and be proactive in demonstrating value to your boss(es). One big recommnedtion I'd make re the social side is to get a dog. Having a dog has made a huge difference to my working day - I chat to fellow dog owners at least twice a day when I bring him for a walk. It gets me out of the house and usually guarantees I'll hit my steps for the day. He is also company during the day.


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    #36
    Shefwedfan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,958 ✭✭✭✭Shefwedfan


    Mr.S wrote: »
    Did you make this up?

    I’ve never heard of this “requirement” and have worked with fully / part remote staff from MNC’s to small Irish setups. It’s not the norm at all.

    The main benefit of remote working is flexibility.....

    --

    @OP - best advice I can give is have a decent “main” setup - stable Internet, decent desk and chair and a high quality monitor(s). Decent webcam / microphone for calls and web conferences.

    Stick to your normal hours and take proper breaks / lunches where you disconnect.

    Change of scenery is nice as well, work from a coffee shop, co working space etc every now and again, it’s nice to get out of the home office :pac:

    If your employer allows it, go see your colleagues in person every now and again. Organise in person meetings every so often, or visit your physical office. Helps massively with fitting in with co-workers instead of just being a name on Slack / email / Skype etc.


    I think we can all agree the information from Mrs OBumble is just rubbish.



    Based on the OP original post I would guess it is a couple of days from home and the rest in office which gives you the chance to communicate in person with other people.



    I dont think I could handle non stop working from home.


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    #37
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users Posts: 28,515 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    Phibsboro wrote: »
    One big recommnedtion I'd make re the social side is to get a dog. Having a dog has made a huge difference to my working day - I chat to fellow dog owners at least twice a day when I bring him for a walk. It gets me out of the house and usually guarantees I'll hit my steps for the day. He is also company during the day.
    It's a lovely idea, but just a note of caution that getting a dog is a long term commitment. Don't go down this road if there's a chance that you're going to switch back from working from home six months later.



    Or maybe try things out with a foster dog....


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    #38
    Phibsboro
    Registered Users Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭Phibsboro


    AndrewJRenko wrote: »
    It's a lovely idea, but just a note of caution that getting a dog is a long term commitment. Don't go down this road if there's a chance that you're going to switch back from working from home six months later.



    Or maybe try things out with a foster dog....

    Excellent point. I actually more work for myself than work from home so my situation maybe isn't as relevant to the OP.


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    #39
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,726 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Shefwedfan wrote: »
    I think we can all agree the information from Mrs OBumble is just rubbish.

    I'm very surprised that more of you haven't encountered it.

    I've been on contract with a couple of multi-nationals which certainly have required home-based workers have facilities to keep their equipment and information secure - and they were very clear what this required. Advertisements I've seen from other remote workforce companies (eg Apple, Amazon, Shopinfy) require similar. And yes, people has to sign up to allowing random inspections from the company.

    It's pretty obvious why any company that's serious about remote work would require this, viz to protect their information and assets and to protect themselves from occupational injury claims: training ain't enough, they have to be seen to be insisting that you use proper facilities, as well as just knowing about them. And you cannot contract out of heath-and-safety.





    if your job can be done remotely, then there's a person in Latvia / China / India / Mexico / Costa Rica etc who's willing to do it for probably 1/4 of the price you charge, or less. S/he many not have good-enough English to get the job today, but sooner or later the inevitable will happen.


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    #40
    368100
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,067 ✭✭✭368100


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Unless you live alone, many companies require a separate lockable office which you commit to using for work and not allowing other members of the household in to.
    .

    Rubbish....have never heard the likes of it. I work from home, have done so in a number of jobs and most of my friends do some hours at home. It's not MI5 we're working for.


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    #41
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    simongurnick wrote: »
    Another thing to factor is ending your days. You need a firm check off point otherwise you will find yourself working while you are having dinner. If you plan to finish at 5 the stop at 5, log off everything and maybe go for a 5 minute walk and come back home fresh for the evening, no more work. Working from home can actually result in doing more work, not less.

    THIS.

    I started working from home one day a week and I found this to be very true. Once I was set up to be able to login remotely, I found myself doing so at odd hours or on my official non-working days off "just to check" and before I knew it a couple of hours could pass.. My family noticed and pulled me up on it, so I had to make myself be more disciplined about clocking off and switching off.


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    #42
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Shefwedfan wrote: »
    I think we can all agree the information from Mrs OBumble is just rubbish.

    In fairness, it is not rubbish. When e-working (or teleworking as it was called) was first piloted in the civil service many years ago, a separate, lockable office space was a requirement, and inspections for compliance were carried out before an application for e-working was approved. If you didn't agree to inspection, you weren't allowed to e-work. I remember one of the rules was the workspace could not be part of another room (eg. a desk in the corner of your bedroom or living room).

    So while such conditions are outdated practice now, it was once that way.


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    #43
    PoisonIvyBelle
    Registered Users Posts: 1,668 ✭✭✭PoisonIvyBelle


    It really depends on your personality. I'm self-employed and working from home the past 5 years and I love the peace I have at home, wouldn't catch me dead trying to work in a coffee shop! I find that I get more done and also have more energy for the socialising I actually want to do, with my friends. Also, with things like Slack for messenging and a project management app for collaborating, for me it's pretty much like working in the same office as the people I chat with daily.


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    #44
    con747
    Registered Users Posts: 5,894 ✭✭✭con747


    biko wrote: »
    I worked from home for years when I worked with co-worker in India, Australia, US, etc

    My experiences were all good except for some small things
    Instead of going over to someone and look at the same screen you had to set up a screen-share call.
    Speaking to people on the phone with foreign accents can be more difficult when you can't see their face.
    There were a LOT of mail tennis before an issue was sorted, something that would have take 15 mins face to face.

    In all, it's worth a shot

    Would Skype or a similar way of doing a face to face not suffice, my wife works from home a few days but can go to the local hotel gym and do her work on their broadband enjoy the facilities and meet people. It does cost €50 a month for membership but you get a 4* with pool and all the bells and whistles so the Op could if able do similar a few days a week.

    Don't expect anything from life, just be grateful to be alive.



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    #45
    Not in Kansas
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭Not in Kansas


    I would just back up the idea of not becoming too invisible. Try to be in the office once a week, twice if you can. I only just this week had a conversation with someone who works for a huge multinational and up until working from home had been on the same trajectory as the people he started off 15 years ago. He took working from home to the extreme of 5 days a week, Skyping for meetings etc and was entirely self sufficient. He got passed over for a really exciting new project and he 100% feels it was an out-of-sight issue.


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    #46
    Wildly Boaring
    Registered Users Posts: 3,631 ✭✭✭Wildly Boaring


    Not in Kansas wrote: »
    I would just back up the idea of not becoming too invisible. Try to be in the office once a week, twice if you can. I only just this week had a conversation with someone who works for a huge multinational and up until working from home had been on the same trajectory as the people he started off 15 years ago. He took working from home to the extreme of 5 days a week, Skyping for meetings etc and was entirely self sufficient. He got passed over for a really exciting new project and he 100% feels it was an out-of-sight issue.

    That is if you are all about the career and exciting new projects. Lot of us aren't.

    Personally, I'm on the road 2 days a week, office 1 or 2 days, home 1 or 2.

    Have to have a designated space or office for my head. I'd end up cleaning the kitchen or something if sat there. I'd not be as clean on cit off times. My view is no commute so I often start a bit early or work on a bit. Still a shorter day.

    Zero requirement for locked office or ****e like that.
    I see shopify mentioned as requiring it. Know 2 with them. 1 works from hotel/hostels all over. See him on facebook. Does say a month in Thailand or Portugal. No wife or kids obviously. Very blatantly not in a locked office as he sticks up a photo of the bloody hammock he's using this week!


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    #47
    Not in Kansas
    Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭Not in Kansas


    Yes absolutely I meant if a person is in a competitive work environment and chasing a certain role becoming invisible is not advisable.

    I am freelance, working in various locations from Monday to Thursday but Friday is my admin/planning day and I have to say I favour a café. I get far more done in a shorter space of time there than at home and if you choose one that has plenty of people doing the same it keeps you motivated.


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    #48
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,790 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    there's a difference between working 100% from home and working a day or two a week. If you're at home all or most of the time then that is your "workplace" and the company is supposed to ensure that you are meeting the same regulations as if you were in the office regarding light, space, ergonomics, security etc.

    Some areas have co-working spaces where you can rent a desk in an office environment for remote working - that might be worth looking into as it would help avoid social isolation as well as providing a more focussed environment. I know when I'm WFH it's very easy to get distracted and spend all your time on Boards :pac:

    This is a recently opened co-working space near me: https://hub13.ie/


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    #49
    Gael23
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    Co working a few days seems to be the answer. However my job involves time spent on phone calls. Would that be an issue in a co work environment?


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    #50
    CheerLouth
    Registered Users Posts: 2,427 ✭✭✭CheerLouth


    I work from home 90% of the time and find it is great. Like any change to your work circumstances, there is a period of adjustment but honestly, I would not now work for a company that would not allow me to WFH at least some of the time. I have a full office set up in our spare room (no requirements to lock the door etc). The company provided me with docking station, screen etc, I provided the desk and chair.

    For me the benefits of working from home greatly outweigh going to the office. Firstly, I no longer spend 4 hours of my day in my car. I can get up with my children at a reasonable hour, do the school run and still be back at my desk for 9am. I can get out for a walk during my lunch break or run to the post office etc. I'm finished at 5pm and can have my children collected and back home by 5.20pm. I'm not worrying if one of them is sick, who will collect them, stay with them etc.

    In terms of work, I get a lot of work done with no distractions. I'm permanently signed into Skype (during working hours) and I speak to my boss and colleagues quite regularly during the working day. I do think if you are going to work from home on a regular basis, you need an area in the house to go to - I'd be very distracted if I was sitting at the kitchen table. But once I go into the office, I'm in work mode & on the rare occasions that the rest of the family are home, they know that if I'm in the office, I'm at work.


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    #51
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,987 ✭✭✭skallywag


    Home Office is great in my opinion, but needs one very important element, and that is an isolated working space, meaning a room etc. which is your 'office', so that you are 'at work' when you are in there, and 'not at work' otherwise.

    What definitely would not work for me is sitting down with my notebook in the living room, bedroom desk, etc.

    Disturbances are not the main concern, more the psychological aspect of knowing when I am 'at work' and when I am not. Otherwise it can be very easy to fall into an 'always at work' mentality where you find it difficult to switch off.


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    #52
    Diziet
    Registered Users Posts: 831 ✭✭✭Diziet


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Unless you live alone, many companies require a separate lockable office which you commit to using for work and not allowing other members of the household in to.

    OP, investigate co-working spaces in your target area.

    This is by no means the norm. I worked from home for years, for different companies including multinationals and have never come across this.


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    #53
    HBC08
    Registered Users Posts: 3,310 ✭✭✭HBC08


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Unless you live alone, many companies require a separate lockable office which you commit to using for work and not allowing other members of the household in to.

    OP, investigate co-working spaces in your target area.

    Surely this is a p1ss take?
    Does the boss call to your house unannounced and check your lock and for signs the girlfriend has been staying over?


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    #54
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Diziet wrote: »
    This is by no means the norm. I worked from home for years, for different companies including multinationals and have never come across this.

    When it was first piloted, a dedicated workspace, with a lock, and spot checks were a requirement of working from home in the civil service.

    Other posters have named companies that do have some, if not all of these requirements.

    So while it may no longer be common practice, its not totally unheard of either.


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    #55
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,726 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Gael23 wrote: »
    Co working a few days seems to be the answer. However my job involves time spent on phone calls. Would that be an issue in a co work environment?

    Yes.

    And it may also raise client / company confidentiality issues.

    TBH I'm horrified that so many people here are dismissing those concerns: companies that don't allow unaccompanied visitors anywhere on their own premises shouldn't want them in your workspace either.


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    #56
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Gael23 wrote: »
    Co working a few days seems to be the answer. However my job involves time spent on phone calls. Would that be an issue in a co work environment?

    Who's going to pay for the Co Working? The company or you?

    If the company then they'd need to be pretty accommodating to pay for you to work somewhere else. Most would say no to the added cost I imagine.

    If you, it's a sizeable enough cost.


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    #57
    Gael23
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Who's going to pay for the Co Working? The company or you?

    If the company then they'd need to be pretty accommodating to pay for you to work somewhere else. Most would say no to the added cost I imagine.

    If you, it's a sizeable enough cost.

    Would probably have to pay myself. Looks to be about €30 a day and at say 2 days a week it’s not an outrageous expense


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    #58
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Gael23 wrote: »
    Would probably have to pay myself. Looks to be about €30 a day and at say 2 days a week it’s not an outrageous expense

    €30 a day twice a week by 48 weeks comes to approx €5.7k per annum in Gross income terms (excluding travel costs). Now, you might get a long term discount on the €30 rate. Expensive to my mind when working from home would be zero in comparison.


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    #59
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,987 ✭✭✭skallywag


    Diziet wrote: »
    This is by no means the norm. I worked from home for years, for different companies including multinationals and have never come across this.

    It very much depends on the nature of the data that you are working with, and how sensitive it is. Bumble is correct in that there are definitely situations where this would apply.


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    #60
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,790 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    Deleted User wrote: »
    €30 a day twice a week by 48 weeks comes to approx €5.7k per annum in Gross income terms (excluding travel costs). Now, you might get a long term discount on the €30 rate. Expensive to my mind when working from home would be zero in comparison.

    it's probably more aimed at contractors and the self-employed who can write it off against tax.


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    #61
    Gael23
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    loyatemu wrote: »
    it's probably more aimed at contractors and the self-employed who can write it off against tax.

    Does seem a bit like that from looking at a few websites


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