Working from home is... weird

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CreamyGoodness

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The building that houses my department at my company is flooded. We have no idea whatsoever when it will be habitable again.

Starting last Saturday, I have been given a SecurID login at work so I can work from home. I'm not complaining. I LOVE drawing a steady paycheck. However, iIts a surreal experience, as a guy who has had to commute for the past 10 years.

Pros
-I can work in my pajamas holding a sword with a green bandana on my head
-no commuting costs
-my OWN bathroom, one that doesnt echo (sigh)
-I can make my own lunch, and I never forget it in the fridge
-coffee that doesnt suck
-I can spend time with my wife in the next room. By this I mean I shout "I love you" every hour or so through the door.
-facebook is available again
-no hour-long train rides
-I fart whenever the urge hits
-HBT

Cons
-I have to remind myself to bathe
-work people call on my personal cellphone
-my wife watching the mentalist loudly
-getting the boss to sign something is oppressively difficult
-coworkers can more effectively hide from me when I need them
-no one I know believes I am actually working. text messages galore from friends.
-ethical dilemmas. I ate a sandwich at my desk. Is that a working lunch? It would be at the office, but is it here? I took a shower when I couldn't stand the funkiness that had built up. Is that upkeep of uniform? Should I count it just like I would count getting a cup of coffee at the office (ie no clock stoppage)? What constitutes overtime?
-I pace when I am on conference calls. My wife is close to killing me.
-These conference calls are eating my minutes
-I wind up doing work over the weekend to help the business continuity effort post-Sandy.

There's no moral or anything to this post, its just odd.
 
Pros
-I can work in my pajamas holding a sword with a green bandana on my head
-no commuting costs
-my OWN bathroom, one that doesnt echo (sigh)
-I can make my own lunch, and I never forget it in the fridge
-coffee that doesnt suck
-I can spend time with my wife in the next room. By this I mean I shout "I love you" every hour or so through the door.
-facebook is available again
-no hour-long train rides
-I fart whenever the urge hits
-HBT

lol @ that. I literally do that too. Almost on the daily
 
Just an FYI.... If you're using a VPN connection to work, depending on how it is configured, your HBT and FB traffic may be going through your work internet. You might want to do your surfing when you are not connected to their VPN. You can check if this is the case by using one of the sites that shows your IP address. (You can use https://www.arin.net/ and look at the top of the page).
 
I've been working out of the house for a few years now doing computer hardware design for a couple of OEMs. I quickly found - as a self-declared antisocialist - that self-employment suits me well. Instead of having to deal with the entire collection of idiots found in any business, I only have to deal with one idiot. That alone is worth any down side, of which I've yet to find. Then again I don't find good hygiene to be a challenge ;)

But I also have a couple of big things going for me: wife works at an office, and the kids are married and long gone from the homestead. I can crank up the Pink Floyd and get into the zone without repercussions.

It's a beautiful thing...

Cheers!
 
It's a fun mix. I'd like it if I could work from home 1-2 days per week. It gets boring quickly, because your house is actually a pretty boring place when you think about it. Not talking to all the fools in the office is damn good for productivity though.
 
been working at home for 2 months, after 10 years of commuting, also. mine's permanent, though; no floods involved. i can relate to most of this, especially the sites i can get to again and good coffee
 
paulster2626 said:
It's a fun mix. I'd like it if I could work from home 1-2 days per week. It gets boring quickly, because your house is actually a pretty boring place when you think about it. Not talking to all the fools in the office is damn good for productivity though.

Big screen, stereo, kegerator, dogs and cats. My home office isn't boring at all. Still get a lot more work done than when I was at the office getting bugged by someone with nothing better to do every 10 minutes
 
I'm sure I'd get nothing done. I have worked from home a few times. Usually it's only part of a day when there is something to be done and it has to be done after everyone else leaves for the day.

If I were left alone in the house with nobody watching I'd get sleepy in a hurry.
 
I some ways I rather prefer working from the office. While I like my job, I still get satisfaction from leaving for greener pastures at the end of the day.
 
It's a fun mix. I'd like it if I could work from home 1-2 days per week. It gets boring quickly, because your house is actually a pretty boring place when you think about it. Not talking to all the fools in the office is damn good for productivity though.

my work offers exactly what you want, we get 1 day at home per week. I get more if I need them (people coming to the house, emergencies, packages, etc.) and it works pretty well. I do get more done from home and wish I could work from home more often.
 
CreamyGoodness said:
-ethical dilemmas. I ate a sandwich at my desk. Is that a working lunch? It would be at the office, but is it here? I took a shower when I couldn't stand the funkiness that had built up. Is that upkeep of uniform? Should I count it just like I would count getting a cup of coffee at the office (ie no clock stoppage)? What constitutes overtime?

Ethical dilemmas? All of those examples fall into the category of Not My Problem. Sandwich NMP Shower NMP and overtime is whatever you say it is.
 
I've worked from home for the past four years. If your self disciplined its great, though it's harder to 'clock out' at 6pm and disappear.
 
The building that houses my department at my company is flooded. We have no idea whatsoever when it will be habitable again.

Starting last Saturday, I have been given a SecurID login at work so I can work from home. I'm not complaining. I LOVE drawing a steady paycheck. However, iIts a surreal experience, as a guy who has had to commute for the past 10 years.

Pros
-I can work in my pajamas holding a sword with a green bandana on my head
-no commuting costs
-my OWN bathroom, one that doesnt echo (sigh)
-I can make my own lunch, and I never forget it in the fridge
-coffee that doesnt suck
-I can spend time with my wife in the next room. By this I mean I shout "I love you" every hour or so through the door.
-facebook is available again
-no hour-long train rides
-I fart whenever the urge hits
-HBT

Cons
-I have to remind myself to bathe
-work people call on my personal cellphone
-my wife watching the mentalist loudly
-getting the boss to sign something is oppressively difficult
-coworkers can more effectively hide from me when I need them
-no one I know believes I am actually working. text messages galore from friends.
-ethical dilemmas. I ate a sandwich at my desk. Is that a working lunch? It would be at the office, but is it here? I took a shower when I couldn't stand the funkiness that had built up. Is that upkeep of uniform? Should I count it just like I would count getting a cup of coffee at the office (ie no clock stoppage)? What constitutes overtime?
-I pace when I am on conference calls. My wife is close to killing me.
-These conference calls are eating my minutes
-I wind up doing work over the weekend to help the business continuity effort post-Sandy.

There's no moral or anything to this post, its just odd.


Yeah, can't do this at work...lol

I can work in my pajamas holding my sword
 
I've worked from home for the past four years. If your self disciplined its great, though it's harder to 'clock out' at 6pm and disappear.

For me I find it easier. Been doing it for 1.5 years since moiving to CO but staing with my Company in VA. I shut my computer off and ignore my email, no one to catch me between then and heading upstairs unlike going into the office. I will work a little later than normal if I am in the middle of something, vs before when I always tried to get out on time due to traffic.

Overall I get a lot more work done from home than from the office.
 
For me I find it easier. Been doing it for 1.5 years since moiving to CO but staing with my Company in VA. I shut my computer off and ignore my email, no one to catch me between then and heading upstairs unlike going into the office. I will work a little later than normal if I am in the middle of something, vs before when I always tried to get out on time due to traffic.

Overall I get a lot more work done from home than from the office.

Mine is probably a bit more complex than most that get to telecommute. Since we're a member managed software company with members in the US, Canada, Australia and work with clients all over the globe it's not uncommon to get phone calls & emails at all hours. I frequently work a bit in the morning until about 10, then go play with my son until my wife comes home around 1:30 and work again until 6. Then I'm usually back catching up on stuff and working with developers as needed sometime between 8-11.

I'd say on average I do a 7-8hr day, it's just a really fractured day which works really well for my current lifestyle.
 
I've been telecommuting for almost 2 years now. I used to commute via car 1 ½ hours each way, so for me the biggest advantage is getting the 3 hours back in my personal life. That extra time allows me to make important evening school activities of my daughters and the extra sleep is nice as well. Plus talking to the boss with no shoes or socks on and in shorts and a t-shirt is pretty cool too.
 
Getting ready for family to come in for Thanksgiving, and just set a spare bed up in my office. May not get much work done this week and next :)
 
Wife leaving you a 5 + item honey do list every day because you work from home so you must have free time to do all that ****e. Not so priceless.
 
Working from home is great; I did it for about 10 months and my frisby golf game was showing huge improvements. I think my dog enjoyed it too.
 
I have worked remotely for about six years. I now manage an entire division of remote employees. Some people can do it, some can't. It is a delicate balance. My biggest complaint is that I tend to work late into the night. Difficult to balance the home life while working from home. It is also difficult to get dressed for the public. :)

What I like most? I work from home. I honestly would not know what to do if I had to go back to an office with, *gasp* coworkers.
 
another home worker here. My office is in Las Vegas & 2 years ago I moved to PA but continued to work for the Vegas office.

I run 3 27" monitors, a VPN connection so I can open Outlook locally & mostly 1 remote session into our terminal server - sometimes 2 remote sessions 1 in the term server & 1 into the file server for data maintenance stuff.

When I mentioned leaving Vegas to get the F out of the dusty hell hole I was going into the office about 3 times a week already, & working from home the other 2 or 3 days...

So when I approached my then boss I asked, "other than face-to-face meetings... what would be the difference if I do it 30 miles away or 3000?" He said in a nutshell, "good point, drive careful, & good luck". He is no longer my boss... but the guy in line for that position <3's me because he asks for something and tells me "no rush"... but I always rush on it for him. He's cool. OUR boss, one of the owners, told me I'm his 'special projects guy'... he also gives me things to do for him (website redesign, data report creating) and says no rush too... but again, I do what I need to get it that day. The owner has even said to me, 'I know a lot of people just can't work from home & I don't know if I'd feel ok about them giving the actual work & hours... but you, I know you stay busy'

Been working out so far & I love it too... I'd have no clue what I'd do if I lost this job, I'm not an office environment type of guy. As for the pajamas with a sword... LoL - for the 1st months or 2 after I got out here and setup... when the boss would call to check on me I'd remind him he had no clue if I was nakid, just in tighty-whities, or actually dressed.

The hours in Vegas are 7am-5pm which is 10am-8pm here... but my hours range from 7am - 8pm here all week mainly in case someone calls. Our shop guys get in at 3-4am in Vegas so I have to be ready for them in case they have software issues & the office guys that work until 5pm call me up to 9pm here sometimes.

And yes, co-workers seem to avoid you more easily. When I shoot off an email for one of them to do something I rarely hear back, not for a few hours at least. My office ext is forwarded to my home phone here. So if someone calls & hits my extension it rings my office phone - brilliant!

LOTS of pro's in my mind. I do work longer hours than the office, & yes, there are more breaks in those hrs... but 5 hrs of uninterrupted work is way better than 10hrs of interruptions & distractions. If I work a Sunday (only day I get everyone is off the software & backups can be ran) I eff off on Monday or the following Friday to try and help keeping personal life normal.
 
Good 'ol Uncle Sam doesn't want us to telecommute unless you're on extended sick leave but can still work or if you're on TDY. Not sure if they realize we can be just as unproductive at home as we are in the office. I don't think I would do well by working at home though. SWMBO doesn't work and I have a 3yr old who doesn't understand that computers can be used for anything other than games. I'm sure SWMBO would see it as a perfect opportunity to give me a honey-do list 3 miles long and take her time shopping while I juggle the kid and work. Nuh uh. I'll keep my 25min drive and deal with the tards here.
 
I'm a work from home guy as well. Been that way for 6 years now. I used to live and work in the D.C. area, but got laid off and decided to sell my house (right before the bubble burst; lucky me) and move back "home" to Pittsburgh.

Right before I moved away, an old friend and co-worker contacted me to ask me if I was looking for work. My response was "Yes, but..." and he replied "That's OK, just work from home."

It's great, and I love it. I also don't know what I would do if I lost this job.

And indeed, SWMBO has a hard time understanding that just because I'm at home doesn't mean I'm available whenever she needs something, like watching *our* 3 year old.

I find myself working late into the evening most days.
 
Haha, yeah me too! I'm so used to working from home I wouldn't know what to do if I had to find an office job.

And yeah, I'm out near Bridgeville/Carnegie. So glad I don't have to drive into the city every day. I've had to do it a few times, and I think I would go nuts, though traffic here is nothing compared to D.C. traffic. UGH.
 
I've been telecommuting about four months. It is very isolating. None of the usual office chats. It is also very efficient. Online meetings last 10 minutes instead of an hour because there is no schmoozing.

The office is also the brew room. I work to the comforting bubbling music from air locks.;)

soon they will open an office an hour away in Hartford, CT. Commuting will truly suck. All of us are hoping they will only expect 1, maybe 2 days per week.

-I can spend time with my wife in the next room. By this I mean I shout "I love you" every hour or so through the door.
Unimaginative. I'm just sayin'.
 
Self-employed work at home here.

I love it. I tend to work too long hours, but I also screw off with you *****es all day, so it all evens out.

I wear wireless headphones all day. Not sure why, it's mostly just my dog and me here. Helps me focus. Pandora when I'm designing/coding, podcasts when I'm soldering/techwork/debugging.

Usually around 1 or 2pm I either jog or go for a rid on my bike. Until then, I'm always in my pajama shorts. I get the coffee going and start working withing minutes of rolling out of bed.
 
Things have been slow lately work from home-wise, so last Friday I put in an application for a real life "Proper" job. When I told Mrs. Gnome she was all like "Oh No" "Don't do that! I want you home" And I was all kinda "But Mrs. Gnome, we need the money! I don't want to wait for things to pick up!" Then she went all "Wait longer! I'll miss you when I'm not at work, PLEASE don't get a real job!" Then I went all "OK then"

It appears she likes me to be at home. I think it's because she knows how studly and attractive to hot babes I am in the outside world.

Women, ya can't live with them, and you can't live without hiding a few dead ones in a dumpster.
 
My little experiment comes to an end this coming wednesday. Good thing too, I was going absolutely stir-crazy.
 
By Monday you'll be thinking "my co workers are absolute morons and I can't get anything done. I wish I was working at home still"

What he said! Maybe it's just because I live in Ohio though. There is nothing I need to see or nobody I need to meet within 50 miles of me. :eek:
 
Hmmm That was timely! There was me just thinking about what I could do to supplement my income, and out of the blue I get an email from the person who bought my last four paintings from when I painted a few years ago. He has been keeping an eye out for more of them for the last four or five years! More or less guaranteed sales at a decent price based on what he paid for the last ones. It's a case of either getting back on that particular horse, or doing some grossly underpaid crowdsourcing work in the slack periods. decisions, decisions.........Do something I like that messes with my nerves, or do something I don't like that messes with my wallet........Either way it won't be easy, and I have become accustomed to easy. :(
 
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