redboxoffice

I recently read Maggie Berney’s post on her reaction to the Radio 4 Woman’s Hour interview with Emma Walker, Justine Curtis  and eminent sociologist Dr Brendan Burchell.

While I didn’t hear the interview myself, the comments and reaction to this interview had me thinking.  I’d like to address a number of points that come up regularly for me and may be of interest to you, whether you’re working from home or not.

1. Missing personal contact with others.
I’ve said before that I do miss the water-cooler moments of a regular, office based job.  Saying that, however, there are so many forums and on & off line networks that one can join, being ‘lonely’ for me is not an option!  And if I’ve got Skype up, being alone can sometimes be difficult too!

2. Not being in a team or part of a work-based group.
Well, what’s not being part of a team when working with and for others is your bread and butter?  At least in my job, running my own business, I can pick and choose who I work with.  There are many examples I could give where I’ve felt as though I was excluded from the clique, (too high-school for words) and all the good gossip and office politics, as well as the hiring and firing, was done in the smokers room!  And I don’t smoke.

3. The client not being able to trust me & vice versa.
It is true that the majority of my clients, past & present, I have never met.  And this may be a restricting factor in hiring virtual personnel for some.  However, as someone who holds credit card details for a number of clients & has access to suppliers’ bank accounts, trust is something that is mutually developed over a period of time.  I wouldn’t ask a client to leave me his credit card details on day 1; instead I take the time to develop a relationship with them, showing them that I can be trusted in all matters and that hiring me & Red Box was a positive thing to do for them and their business.

It’s about mutual respect.  I have been stung a couple of times with late or non-payment from clients and so with new clients have a retainer system which is a win-win for all involved.

4. Juggling the work/life balance.
As you may know, I originally relocated to Portugal to regain my work/life balance.  It wasn’t as though I had a hugely stressful job; but I rarely saw my husband, who did.  We made the joint decision to move away from London and get our marriage back on track.  Having an incredibly supportive partner is a bonus and takes the pressure off being the bread winner/housekeeper/vet/personal shopper that many women face.  I greatly admire those who work from home and also have demanding children/parents/partner/friends/pets.  I’m not sure I would be as disciplined as needed to run a business from home and still be on speaking terms with my loved ones.

In the end, working from home is something that must be considered in the cold light of day and not something to rush into after a bad day in the office.  But it works for me and my family (all 3 of us) and for my clients, too.

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, a off-site business support service.  Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money.  Find out more