If you could work from home, would you?
By Phyrre
@phyrre (2317)
United States
July 13, 2011 4:55pm CST
This is something I've been thinking about lately. I gave birth to my daughter 5 months ago but I've been working from home since I quit my job when I was about 3 or 4 months pregnant because of issues. Since I was little I've wanted to work from home and be a housewife/stay at home mother.
I always worry that hubby is going to be angry that I stay home and he has to go to work, but he always says that he's happy with this arrangement. As it is I do work from home and I earn more than I would going back to work anywhere I could currently get a job, especially when you take into account gas prices (70 mile round trip to work and back) and daycare for our daughter. So I'm considered self-employed. But sometimes I feel bad because even though I'm home all day I don't always have time to clean as much as we need and hubby often has to pitch in because I spend all day working online and taking care of the baby. Staying home is a lot more work than I imagined it would be. 
So my question to you is if you had the choice to stay home and work from home would you?
It's something I'm very curious about because I know a lot of people couldn't stand to work from home even when they have the choice to. It is definitely a lot harder than it looks. Not many people enjoy cleaning (which I do a lot of lol) and you go kind of stir crazy after a while without going out too much. xD
So my question to you is if you had the choice to stay home and work from home would you?
It's something I'm very curious about because I know a lot of people couldn't stand to work from home even when they have the choice to. It is definitely a lot harder than it looks. Not many people enjoy cleaning (which I do a lot of lol) and you go kind of stir crazy after a while without going out too much. xD2 people like this
23 responses
@thatgirl13 (7294)
• South Korea
14 Jul 11
I have never had a real job, not even a part time job out thereso to be honest i would like to go out there and be employed hehe! just want to experience working under someone and being someone's employee.
But if i were in your shoes i think j would want to be a work from home mom too coz i would like to spend quality time with my kids and if i go out for work, i wont have enough time for my child.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
Yes, I think there's a difference between working outside the home and being gone a lot. Some jobs require you to travel a lot and that's something completely different than working a 9-5 shift. My mother was home every night and weekend and since I went to school those were the times I was home anyway so really we didn't miss much time.
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
I can definitely understand that. I think if I never had the experience of working outside the house then I would want to experience that too. Who knows, you might find that you really like it and you might find that perfect job that you'll love doing for the rest of your life.
Even if you work outside the home you'll still be able to spend time with your child. There are plenty of parents who do it. My mother did it and we had plenty of time together. She might have wished that we had more, but as the child I never thought that we didn't have enough time.
@thatgirl13 (7294)
• South Korea
14 Jul 11
When I was growing up, dad was never around. He was always in different places because of work. And maybe that is why till today I'm not so close with dad like I'm with mom. Mom was always with us while we were growing up.
Anyway now we all are together and it feels great to have both my parents in home :)
1 person likes this
@Awinds (2468)
• United States
14 Jul 11
What a great question! I am in the process of becoming an at home worker. For me it is heaven's option. You see I am strong willed. I like coming up with my own ideas and following them. In a typical office situation, I can't do that. I am trapped in one room at one desk from 9-5 under one [usually] not very likeable boss. Blech! At home I have the option to stretch out on the sofa or bed will still in my PJ's. It doesn't get better than this on a winter day. I also don't have to deal with people - something I never have looked forward to. I consider myself to be a loner so the online work that I do is perfect for my temperament.
Finally, by working at home, I can make a living from two of my favorite hobbies: writing and photography. To me, doing either is much better than taking calls and form filling all day long. The future is bright with working at home!
However, for the extroverts out there, working from home may feel like being in prison. Some personalities are suited to home working and others are not.
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
You know, it seems like a bad boss has a large influence on a lot of people making the choice to pursue work at home options. Someone should do a study about that and maybe try to change the lousy bosses? To be honest, I've held several different jobs and only found two bosses that were actually good bosses (and they worked at the same place but even they quit because of THEIR boss).
And I have to say I'm guilty of the PJ's thing. I'm in them now LOL!
I definitely agree with you that it takes a certain personality to work at home. I'm not necessarily the most social person ever and I still sometimes feel the strain of rarely seeing people, but it's not that bad. I can't imagine a really social person trying to work from home, though. I'm sure they would lose their mind.
@Awinds (2468)
• United States
14 Jul 11
That sounds like a brilliant, and really useful idea! Especially of the study was anonymous, I can just see the fun many employees would have in a study like that. The benefits are like a chain reaction of good things to: find out what is wrong with bosses, and fix it, then get happier employees who work harder and company profits go up. I wonder why no one has done that?
P.S. You sound mighty comfortable! :D
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
It would be lovely, but they would actually have to act on it and not just have the study on principle. We had a questionnaire at my last job that was anonymous where you rated the managers and I don't imagine they did very well but nothing was done about it either. And at the job before that everyone knew that there was one manager in particular who was really bad and had official company complaints brought against him from several employees and he still wasn't fired. So a study wouldn't be enough, it would require actual ACTION afterwards.
P.S. I totally am. You should try it. :P
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
15 Jul 11
I work at home sometimes and at clients' homes sometimes. I would probably prefer to work at home all of the time. If you're working and looking after your daughter, I don't think you need to worry about whether you're fully contributing to the household. I'm basically in the same situation. And to be honest, when i work outside the home, it's not like my husband gets any cleaning done while I'm gone - he has to spend all of his time chasing our son. So he doesn't expect me to get a lot done while he's at work.
1 person likes this
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
15 Jul 11
I appreciated your thought on how your husband doesn't expect you to get everything done when your home, because when he's home he has to watch his son so he understands. I think having an understanding husband can help out a lot. Some husbands don't understand or aren't able to spend as much time with their child or children and so they think that us wives/women have super powers and are suppose to get everything done. My husband is now starting to understand how much effort it takes into caring for our child.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
I think you're in a special situation then. Most of the people I know (myself included) didn't/don't like their bosses. I loved my coworkers at my previous job, but the only two bosses I liked quit (which should maybe tell you something lol) and after that they just weren't really all that great. It made working there pretty miserable. Actually, at this point about 90% of the people that were working there when I was working there quit solely because of the General Manager and now only about 10% of the people I know still work there.
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
Yes, working in a bad job is sometimes worse than having no job. When it gets to the point where you hate your job that much then you're risking your physical and mental health just to work there, so I don't blame you for making that decision. When I quit my job I was three or four months pregnant and it was getting to the point where I worked hard so everyone would let me do all the work and hang back (despite the fact that I was pregnant, of course) and I started really hating it to the point where I would just get so upset when I had to go. I'd go in at anywhere from noon to four and leave at midnight or one and then have an hour drive home.
So we were definitely in similar situations and I'd agree that working from home was better than my commuting job as well. 
@AngelHope2011 (199)
• United States
14 Jul 11
That's sad. That General Manager is really making the company go under with that attitude. When I worked for two months, I realized why my mom hated working so much. It was at a training job at a hospital here in Baltimore called Sinai. I was under the VSP program. It got to the point that I started hating every minute of that job. The building I worked at was boring, the traffic to work was terrible and the office people made the job even more tedious. I was so glad when that job ended. I would definitely work from home than to go to a commute job.
1 person likes this
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
15 Jul 11
I totally understand what you are saying. I'm considered self-employed as well. I work outside the home only for 6 hrs. The rest of the time i'm at home working online, and taking care of my daughter. I agree with you it can be difficult to juggle everything. My daughter will be three months in a few days. Juggling spending time with her, taking care of our home, and working is a lot of work. I'm not sure what you do for work online but the things i do don't pay a lot so i have to do multiple things at once. Which requires me to spend a lot of time at the computer. I consider myself a third shift online worker :). That's when my daughter is sleeping the most and i can get the most accomplished. So that's what i'm doing now doing multiple work opportunities to help support my family. I enjoy being at home and like you said it saves a lot of money on gas. My husband is trying to help me find something that pays more online but a lot of things just turn into scams. So i'm sticking with what we have and will add others as I go. It can get kind of crazy being in the house all the time. So when the opportunity presents itself and I've reached my goal of how much i'm suppose to make that day then I try to get out for a little bit.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
15 Jul 11
Aww...three months. :) Enjoy her at that age. Mine's only a little older but they change and grow so fast! I just had to put all of her 3-6 month clothes away and take out her 6-9 month clothes today. xD Slightly depressing.
Yes, like you the things that I do sometimes don't pay a whole lot. Sometimes they do. It really just depends. You sound like you're very much in the same situation I am! It took me a little while to find something that paid decently and I try to stick with that. I try to take one day a week off when hubby is home so I can spend time with him and he helps out with the baby that day so I get a little rest. But it's definitely good to try to get out when you can if you've made enough each day certainly. Keeps you from going stir crazy from being inside all the time.
@keenan_savio (416)
• India
15 Jul 11
Why not. It saves you the troble of getting up early for work , then preparing yourself, travelling to work and a lot of time goes in other activities as well. You also have to report to a boss. By working at home you can choose what you would like to do as you work and also who you would like to work for. Many of the work at home jobs lets you choose your own owrking hours as long as you get the work done for them. There is so much flexibility and you will definately enjoy doin jobs like these..
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
15 Jul 11
Well, not everyone enjoys these sorts of jobs, but I certainly do for all of the reasons you listed above. It's very convenient, but sometimes difficult at times too. There are so many distractions that can deter you from working so it takes quite a bit of discipline to keep on task.
@Biomechanoid (2923)
• Estonia
14 Jul 11
Well, working at home may sound very pleasant, but you may never know. I am currently studying at the university and I think my future occupation might offer an opportunity to work from home (I am studying IT). However, I don't think that would be a good choice for me, cause I find it hard to motivate myself when I am at home. I think there would be too many distracting factors which would prevent me from fully dedicating myself to work. And another I can't stand is sitting at home all day long, it drives me crazy and I need to move. I've seen some offices of IT-companies and I was impressed - they usually try to make the environment very comfortable and confy for the workers.
Anyway, I think it's a quite individual matter, as some people find it much easier to work from home than to go to work every morning.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
I'm glad you brought up the downsides of working at home! Lots of people think it sounds great because you get to be your own boss, but it's also a lot of work and responsibility, especially if you tend to be a shirker. It's very easy to get distracted by things while you're at home and if you rely on your income working from home then your ability to pay your bills might suffer.
And it definitely is an individual matter! What works for one person and looks good for one person isn't always good for the next person.
@kelly10 (678)
•
15 Jul 11
I'd love to work from home as it would save me so much money in travel costs. I'm currently unemployed and I have been looking for a work from home job, but just cannot find one.
The other thing I'd love about working from home is that I would be able to choose my own hours. I suffer from insomnia so I'm awake at daft times, so it would be great to use that time productively and earn some cash. So fingers crossed everyone that I can find my ideal job!
1 person likes this
@magtibaygom (4858)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
Working from home has its own advantages and disadvantage. The advantages are, you can have more personal freedom, like more time with your family. The sad part is that, it can be a very lonely one, because you will miss out on your office gossip and other gatherings with office mates that you were used to.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
I think you summed this up pretty good and sometimes it can be a really hard decision to make, especially if you're torn both ways. For me it was easy because I was in a lousy work situation, but if you actually like your job it can be hard to choose between a job you like and staying home with your family for sure.
@aqil02 (29)
• Singapore
14 Jul 11
Tell me which person WOULDNT?It would save you lots of energy,money and you get alot of time for yourself at home.Who wouldnt?I mean you get to get a snack anytime u want,watch television WHILE doing work.Heck at the same time why not play a few video games and stuff?To wrap it up, working at home is the perfect job for me in my opinion.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
Well, all of that sounds ideally but really it depends what kind of work you're doing. I do transcription a lot which means no TV for me (and we don't have cable anyway so all I'd be watching is static LOL!). Plus it does take some discipline to work from home. If you have to make a certain amount of money then you can't always be playing video games. There are many days that I have to stay up and get only 4 or 5 hours of sleep or less just to meet my income quota.
And I'm also a mother, so that means the time to yourself goes down the drain too. While the baby's awake I'm with her. While she's napping I clean and work. So not very much "me" time. But if you don't have children then that's definitely a perk!
@toniganzon (72535)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
I've been working from home for more than a year already and i'm doing fine with it. I am the only person earning in our family but my job is quite stable. I don't only work in online earning sites but i teach online which gives me a lucrative income that pays for our bills, mortgages, etc.
Sometimes i am bored just staying in the house, that's why i'm here in mylot and i chat with many friends. The good thing about my case is that my son goes to school and thus i'm alone in the house everyday and there's nobody i need to take care of. He has a nanny that goes to school and his dad brings him there and picks him up in the afternoon. I don't need to prepare food too because we have a cook to do that for us.
My only responsibility is cleaning my room and my own bathroom.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
Wow, sounds like you've got quite the life! I'd love to have a cook since I fail at it, but unfortunately we're lower middle class and will never be able to afford to hire any help like that for the rest of our life. xD But that's OK. I enjoy cooking and cleaning and taking care of my family and such like that.
Sounds like you've got it figured out, though. Teaching from home is a really good opportunity if you can do it. I go to college online so all of my professors teach from home and several of them are actually semi-retired and just teach a class or two online for additional income.
@hardworker1972 (311)
• United States
14 Jul 11
My answer is short and sweet YES, YES, YES. I love working from home as I can make my own hours and stay in my pjs as long as I want each day.
1 person likes this
@bouncybug (614)
• South Africa
14 Jul 11
I don't actually think I would enjoy working from home. I think that for me it is important to have some kind of differentiation between where you work, and where you live and relax. If I were to work from home, and didn't have to go into an office every day at a certain time, I'm worried that I would not be productive at work. And for me it is the greatest feeling to come back home in the evenings and know that NOW, finally, it is time to relax. Do you not find it difficult to decide when to work and when to relax when you are only working at home?
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
15 Jul 11
No, I don't find it difficult mostly because I have a baby, so when she's content and playing by herself or taking a nap then I know it's time to work. :P Otherwise if she's up then it's relax time. xD
But seriously I work usually from morning until the afternoon while my husband sleeps. When he wakes up then it's relaxation and family time until he goes to work. Then the baby goes down for the night and I work a little more until it's my bed time. ;) It's really not too bad once you get into a schedule, it's just the days where your schedule is broken that things get kind of hectic.
@jdex_143 (1093)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
Hello..
I think I can't stand to stay home the whole day. I will get bored staying at home. I don't want to do the cleaning everyday. I want to meet other people and participate in something that is important not only for my benefit but also for others.
1 person likes this
@brew2x (3094)
• Philippines
21 Jul 11
I've tried working from home before, I've quit my job and focused on earning online. I've tried working on both but my time is not enough that's why I have favored working from home. At first I thought that it must be the ideal job for me but I was wrong. I've been bored since I'm staying at home all the time, I've missed my colleagues and going out.
@connierebel (1557)
• United States
21 Jul 11
Right now I'm pretty fed up with my job, so yes, I would much rather work at home. Especially because we are going through a heat wave, with the temperature over 100, and inside the brick building with no air conditioning it is way too hot to work! There should be laws against making people work in conditions like that. the only parts of the plant that have air conditioning are the ones that have CNC machines which can't take the heat, and I don't work in those parts. On top of that, my job is very physical, and no matter how much water I drink, I still lose weight, which I can't afford, because I'm already under weight.
Actually I never like to work indoors in the summer, and that makes me irritable and discontented with my job. But besides that, the new managers are running the place into the ground with their poor decisions, and that makes my job very frustrating.
@EdnaReyes (2622)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
Yes I would gladly stay at home and work from it. I want to work while i can supervised my home and my family. I am a mother too and I know how hard it is to work outside the house and I would gladly quit job if I can earn the same kind money while working on home. It is less tiring and demanding!
@moneywinner (1864)
• Brazil
13 Jul 11
Nowadays, I would say that I prefer to work outside of my home. One of the reason is because I need to have a daily contact with others persons otherwise I think I would feel stuck at home. But, your case is totally different. You already have a child and she need your full attention.
When I get married and have sons, maybe I will change my mind.
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
13 Jul 11
What if you have daughters?
That's something I hear really often that people want the interaction and I will definitely admit that staying home you really have to work to get interaction because you have to make dates with your friends and everything. If you work outside the home you get that interaction while you're working and I used to be a waitress so it's a big jump to go from that and being social to hardly ever seeing anyone!
That's something I hear really often that people want the interaction and I will definitely admit that staying home you really have to work to get interaction because you have to make dates with your friends and everything. If you work outside the home you get that interaction while you're working and I used to be a waitress so it's a big jump to go from that and being social to hardly ever seeing anyone!
@Money911 (14)
• United States
14 Jul 11
not sure about working from home per say, but I would love to own my business and get to stay home some days and go into office every so often. working from home sounds nice but I would like to get into a business and office environment every so often
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
14 Jul 11
That sounds like a good plan! I would hate to own my own business, though. I'm not really good at the whole being an executive in a business as I wouldn't have enough experience to really be able to run the business properly and do everything required to make it successful. It takes a lot of work. For the first couple of years you likely wouldn't get any days off, or very few, until it really gets off the ground and starts making money or that's what I've heard from the majority of entrepreneurs.
@mkcbishop (27)
•
3 Aug 11
I am so jealous of you all! I really wish I could find something at home. I am honestly going to try and get into blogging, but honestly I would like to make a little bit more than that. I have done freelance work, but haven't been able to find anything that is actually a good "job". can anyone point me in the right direction.. that isn't my own MLM or pyramid style at home business. Yeah, I know all about it and i'm not the kind of person that can make off of that. As for babysitting and stuff, no such luck!
