What is so great about working from home (work from home, companies, paid)

[luckygirl15]

About 6 months ago, the company I work for decided that they needed more office space and so our department was deemed to be best suited for working from home. We are paid for telephone and internet, but not that much.

I used to think that I would like working from home, but I don't.

I feel like I am missing something. I don't know anyone at the office anymore; it feels like things are happening but we not told them.

My manager was supposed to have a lunch or meeting once a month, but so far in 6 months, there has been 1 conference call.

The other people (all women) love working from home. They have kids so it works for them with child care issues.

I am single and have no one to talk to. I am getting a lot of work done but I'm so lonely.

What is so great about working from home? I feel like I a am missing something.

[Den0190]

Introverts would more than likely love it and extroverts would hate it. I'm more productive when I work alone.

[sware2cod]

There are lots of things that aren't related to child care.

1) Save time on commute to/from work, save gas money and save wear and tear on your car because no commute. Similar situation if you take public transportation.

2) Save time and money on work attire. No need to have work clothing.

3) Save time and money on lunches

4) Work more efficiently and you get more work done because you don't have office chit-chat.

[luckygirl15]

those are good reasons, but what about people who want to have opportunities? Are they more likely to be passed over if they work from home?

Also, aren't remote people the first people to be laid off in the event of a company downsizing?

[fuji1]

I would love to work from home because you'd get to live in any city you want and can just fly in or call in for the monthly meeting

[pvande55]

I knew one who got his own office close by so his work would be separate. And another who went out to bars a lot to get away after work, which happened to be his home. I had one work from home gig, but I went somewhere else to do the work.

[John7777]

I once had the option to work from home. I didn't like it. Maybe in Tahiti I'd have a different viewpoint?

I could never get motivated. It's just too easy to sit around in your pajamas and put off working. First you tell yourself you'll start "right after lunch." In the afternoon, you decide you'll work later in the evening. When evening comes, you put it all off until the next morning. And then the process repeats. Maybe it was because the work wasn't much fun.

I once had another job that was perfectly suited to work at home. I could have done that work in my sleep, but work at home wasn't in the cards. That's too bad. I really could have moved to some tropical island and, working two hours a day, I could have kept up with the required "production." To this day they're paying people six figures to do work that could be done in two hours a day...

[statisticsnerd]

Not having to deal with coworkers that make you want to pull your hair out.

[DanielWayne]

I would love the opportunity to work from home. I have met a few programmers that do work from home, and live in other states from their jobs. There are some major companies that operate that way.

I know there would be a downside, but a lot of plusses are listed in the posts above, and to me they would outweigh the bad. I would be much more productive alone or tele-conferencing with a team who isn't much into idle chit chat. Also my mind does not work 8-5. Sometimes I stay up and work at midnight or 1am or later because that is when I am most creative. Telecommuting would be most conducive to that.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by luckygirl15

those are good reasons, but what about people who want to have opportunities? Are they more likely to be passed over if they work from home?

Also, aren't remote people the first people to be laid off in the event of a company downsizing?

It depends. Our telecommuters are limited to 2-3 days a week so they are still pretty visible and able to make meetings. In a job where collaboration with others in the same and/or other departments is normal, the limitation of phone/email does result in a certain amount of frustration to others that could be negative when opportunities come up. Downsizing is normally going to eliminate the least critical functions, which may or may be people working from home.