M: Business 3rd Edition by O. C. Ferrell, Geoffrey Hirt, Linda Ferrell

Exercise 3

Working from home may sound like a dream. Yet when that dream comes true, employees find some downsides that they did not expect. Perhaps the greatest challenge is the balancing of work and home life. In a traditional job setting, work occurs in the office while leisure occurs at home. However, those who work at home lack this clear boundary. Lack of office space, family distractions, and sticking to set schedules are additional challenges work-at-home employees face.

These challenges are not going away anytime soon. According to Interactive Data Corporation, over 18.4 million U.S. workers set up home-based businesses. Interactive Data predicts this number will grow annually by roughly 350,000 for the next few years. The situation has led experts to recommend methods to help work-at-home employees.

First, employees working at home should have a clear work space, even if it is only a desk on which work materials reside. Maintaining a schedule of strict hours devoted to work and then communicating these hours to family and friends is important. Additionally, for some workers who crave socialization, working alone might be difficult. However, thanks to technology, employees can often work in social settings like coffee shops or libraries.

Those who can’t get past these challenges have pursued other creative alternatives. Some freelancers and entrepreneurs have begun renting office space at work areas designed to accommodate the selfemployed. These spaces have a more relaxed atmosphere than a normal work environment; one of these “work spaces,” for instance, is located in a Victorian home in Brooklyn. Other work-at-home entrepreneurs opt to form weekly work gatherings, where individuals can work on their laptops while being able to socialize with others. For many self-motivated individuals, the rewards of working away from the office overcome the sacrifices.

How does one create a boundary between work and home life when working at home?

Step 1 of 2

When an individual exclusively work from home, even if he or she is organized, it is still difficult to manage work life balance. While it is difficult to manage career and household at the same time, there are ways to better work life balance when one is working at home.