Those professionals that work out of their home, be it a home-based franchise owner or a freelance writer, have to fight a few unique obstacles when building a workplace culture. Setting a few rules such as no laundry, no pajamas and no naked bodies allowed on conference calls can help.
Beyond those items, letting young children or the family pet(s) sit or play in the home office is ok as long as meeting notes or other important documents are protected from chewing or swallowing. Being an essay writer I'd like to provide you with a few other policies and practices that can easily be implemented in efforts to build and maintain a professional culture.
Setting Home Office Hours
The first step in building a professional presence in any type of home office is to set up and adhere to set office hours. Working from home involves everyone in the household working together as a team. As such, spouses, children, and pets have to be counted on to respect the office hours.
Many home office workers have great flexibility in setting hours when working from home. Some people set their hours according to the hours their customers or clients work. For those working with the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. marketplace, the home office hours should be close to those same hours.
Regardless of the type of work being done from home, the best first step is to set a regular schedule of hours. The schedule can be left flexible enough to accommodate projects that may require a different set of hours.
Design a Professional Looking Office
When setting up a home office, it is imperative to make the office look professional. The cost to do so can range from inexpensive to much more expensive. Nonetheless, even if clients are not expected to visit the home office, future employees, family, and friends will certainly take the business venture more seriously when the office looks professional.
Professionally styled offices should include a computer workstation, a clean area to work or make phone calls, a telephone, fax, and filing cabinets. If room, include a small couch or comfortable chairs. It is ok to include a designated play area for kids and pets or even a desk for the slightly older children to work during the time they visit the office.
Letting the Kids Work in the Home Business
History has shown us that it is never too early to start thinking about entrepreneurship including home-based businesses. If the kids want to come into the office to see what’s going on, as long as they are not too disruptive, let them observe phone calls or the actual work being done.
It would also be beneficial to give the kids some job duties if they are interested. Sharpening pencils once a week, printing labels, stuffing envelopes, straightening magazines and the list of small tasks could go on and on.
Comforts and Distractions of Working From Home
There are all types of businesses being conducted from home offices these days including some old standards such as cleaning services, tax preparation, and freelance consulting. Newer businesses include dog training, math and reading tutoring, medical billing, and of course the trendy telecommuters.
Working from home sounds like the perfect set-up for just about anyone but, the distractions and the sometimes uncontrollable desire to do "it" tomorrow can destroy the strongest home worker. Forget about the neighbors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Calling and talking hours on end with family members is a tempting trap that also has to be controlled.
Keeping it Real and Professional at Home
While it may not be a requirement to wear a $600 suit to the home office every day, it is still highly beneficial to dress better than last night’s pajamas. Projecting a professional image requires one to think, act and look professional full-time, even from the home office.
About the author: Bianca J. Ward is a professional online essay writer at EssayWriterFree where she provides people with qualitative works. Besides, she is a passionate photographer and traveler who has visited 52 countries all over the world. Bianca dreams about creating a photo exhibition to present her works to others.
