Panasonic Youth rob sanheim writes about software, business, ruby, music, stuff and things

Its _Working_ From Home, not Work+Childcare from Home

Since I’ve been telling people my new job will be from home, I’ve had this exchange far too often:

Me: So I’ll be working out of my home office, the company is all virtual…
JoeSchmoe: Oh, so will you be watching your son during the day, then??
Me: What?? No, I’ll be working from home…

Is there something about doing work from home that people think you can just watch your kids while you work? What I should be saying is “well, do you take your kids into the office with you, then?”

I can barely complete a coherent thought when my three year old is on a rampage. I can’t imagine doing things that require real concentration like coding. How does anyone get this idea that when you work from home you become a slacker. Do they have an image of me on my couch, with a laptop and a rum and coke at my side, while my son runs around and plays?

Yeah, that’s crazy.

Everyone knows you don’t like rum n’ coke.

Welcome to the work-from-home club. You may think you know, but you have *no* idea…

Yeah, standard plugin-module office workers tend to have a few “misconceptions” about home work. It’s still work, it’s still for money, and you still have to do it. There’s no time for anything else.

The problem is that those “misconceptions” are often rooted in reality from past experiences. I have worked with people who have used the work from home to babysit model and their productivity drops big time. Then there are others who do a great job. But you know the saying “it only takes one rotten apple to spoil the bunch.” Most people are going to look at you as guilty until proven innocent.

Hear, hear… I recently got the boss to ante up for a laptop, and I can now work from home if need be. It is impossible for me to get anything done with ANYONE at home. IT is really absurd… however, I have gotten the same responses and I Am not even going virtual. I just wanted the flexibility to make up time without having to commute or working extra late at the office.

My mentor held the position as sole coder in a successful marketing agency for 9 years, but worked at home 90% percent of the time. He lived the entire time in a one room loft that had been decorated to host raves at around two-hundred fifty capacity. I hope you can imagine the traffic through his abode and the plethora of distractions of all sorts to boot. Very often he was housing a younger more rambunctions roommate. I’ve never met anyone so capable of completely ignoring his surroundings. I suppose the people who best understand the reality of this situation are the slackers in recovery.

Well, thinking your slacking is much better than thinking you’re somehow involved in the porn trade:-)

When I tell people I work from home I either get a comment about porn or scam.

I guess if there not doing it, most people think that it can’t be done.

Good luck
Mal Keenan

[…] Oh, you must watch your kids/pets/tv/chia pet all day, then, right? People don’t think you are actually working, or at least don’t think logically about what “working from home” actually entails. I’ve heard the “Oh, you work from home? You must be keeping your son at home with you?” question far too many times, now. […]

Excellent info, I liked it.

my wife keeps on rambling about me working from home.. i recently changed my work to working from home an a full time internet type of guy .. no money so far yet but it has only been a week… sigh ..

Aaron