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10 dos and don'ts for home workers

For many people working in Britain the line between home and work is increasingly blurred, so to make sure you get your work/life balance right, just follow our dos and don'ts

According to the UK National Statistics agency over three million people (over 10 per cent of the UK workforce) now officially work ‘mainly’ from home. A million more work ‘occasionally’ from home.

According to another survey over 50 per cent of the working population will spend some of the week working from home by 2010. Most homeworkers are ‘teleworkers’ – people using computers and telecommunications to keep in touch with their employers and customers.

As the revolution in flexible working practices gathers pace, all homeworkers – whatever the nature of their work – might benefit from following certain general guidelines to ensure that they get the work-life balance right.

Do

• Keep your workspace separate from your living space, and have a physical door (wherever possible) which you can close when you’re working and walk away from when your work is finished.
  
  
• Set a work schedule and stick to it. Work set hours, and make sure that family members know when you’re ‘at work’ and not to be disturbed.
  
  
• Write a daily plan, every day, and keep a ‘To Do’ list close to your desk. Cross off each task as it is done, and leave nothing undone.
  
  
• Organise your workspace with the furniture your work function requires. Planning this in advance will help save time and money.
  
  
• Arm yourself with the necessary technology for your work. Get the right kit and learn how to use it. if in any doubt about this subscribe to a reliable helpline. Check with your Internet Service Provider exactly what their helpline offers, or check that the service contract that came with your computer equipment is still valid. If not, think about extending it.
  
  
• Make sure your communication devices, are in place and divorced from your home life. In other words install a separate business phone line.
  
  
• Divide your time sensibly according to your responsibilities. Identify your different roles and devote sufficient time to each of them.
  
  
• Know when to switch off and relax. All work and no play will destroy your home life.
  
  
• Introduce a system for paperwork and filing. Knowing where things are will save you valuable time. Poor office administration will bury you before you know it.
  
  
• Make generous use of house plants, flowers, and bird feeders if your office overlooks a garden. Some distractions are allowed.
  

Don't

• Don’t ignore your own rules and boundaries. Learn to walk past the office door when you’re not working, and resist the temptation to pop in to check your emails.
  
  
• Don’t forget to get cupboards, shelves and filing cabinets. Good storage facilities are a vital component of any office.
  
  
• Don’t throw away old computers and printers. Always make back-ups of your work, because technology will always let you down.
  
  
• Don’t forget to walk around and stretch your legs frequently.
  
  
• Don’t feel tied to your office. Take the phone into the garden from time to time.
  
  
• Don’t feel guilty about working from home. Point out to sceptics that successive surveys show that homeworkers are more efficient and productive than office workers.
  
  
• Don’t cut yourself off from social contact during the day. Walk to the shops or pub, and chat to the postman, newsagent, and local traders.
  
  
• Don’t forget to remind yourself how lucky you are that you’re not having to commute.
  
  
• Don’t take personal calls during work hours. That’s one reason why you will be more productive than office workers.
  
  
• Don’t do any housework or gardening during your working day – however pressing you persuade yourself it is. It’s simply an excuse not to work.

Written by David Allsop

This article was created: 28 September 2006.
This article was last edited: 14 November 2006.

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