By Josh Bebitez
When you first begin working from home, you might not be sure you can make it successful enough to pay the bills. You are not going to work for a company, but for yourself. You need to find people willing to work with you and still remain your own boss. Surprisingly enough once you get over being scared it is easy to find work to pay the monthly expenses, while making your own schedule. When you first consider jobs working from home you need to consider three points: can you work from home without the demand of an employer, are you organized enough, and can you work first to play second?
There are positions where you will have a boss, such as the telecommuting positions. You will also find that there are positions with deadlines that give you more flexibility. If you are the type of person that works well when others are there to push you, you are probably not the ideal candidate for jobs working from home. You would be the type of person that needs the hustle and bustle of the workplace as well as other individuals to make you productive. On the other hand if you are the self-motivated type of individual you will do well working from home.
Even though you are working from home and you may not know your schedule on a weekly basis, but rather on a day-to-day basis, you still need to have organization. You need to set up your schedule for the day or week. You will also have to set up boundaries for family interruptions. You may find that working in the early morning hours or after your family goes to bed is a great time for you to work and avoid interruptions. You may find that setting boundaries is enough during the day. Once you have decided that you are the right person for the position you have to then weigh the advantages and the disadvantages of jobs working from home.
Advantages for both the Employee and Employer:
- Flexible Schedule
- Family Time
- No Commute
- Personal Freedom
- Financial Benefits
- Tax Advantages
- Reduction of Stress
- Productivity Increase
- Number of Workers that are available
Some of the above advantages are self-explanatory like having a flexible schedule, reduction of stress, personal freedom, and a reduction on certain expenses. When new mothers have jobs working from home they find a flexible schedule that allows them to get the sleep they need to be productive and still spend time with their infant. There are also other advantages for anyone including mothers working from home. When you have a home based business, there are tax advantages because you can right off your home expenses as business. In other words, a percentage of your rent or mortgage payments, depreciation, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and expenses for household repairs or improvements can be deducted. Other financial benefits include saving money on gas for a commute, car repairs due to road accidents or just general wear and tear on a vehicle. Productivity increases as well. We have mentioned that new mothers get the sleep they need, which helps increase productivity, but you also have to look at the lower stress. When workplace politics or the constant stream of talking and interruptions does not stress you out you tend to have a higher productivity. Being at home allows you to listen to music you prefer or have complete silence if that is how you work. Time management is also a benefit because you can schedule breaks when you need them to let your mind rest while still getting the work done. We have looked at the advantages from an employee’s perspective, now let us look at some of the same advantages for employers. First employers can save money, just like the employee. An employer can save money based on less space needed for their employees, which means a lower rent. They can also save money on furniture, facilities maintenance, and equipment. When a person works from home, they will generally have the computer equipment needed for the position and a phone line. While the company will have to provide the software and perhaps help set up some of the technology aspects such as telecommunication equipment a majority of their expenses decrease.
They also receive a financial benefit from not having to provide insurance and other benefits. While most companies find it is more beneficial to still provide these advantages, not all of them will. A company also receives a tax advantage for letting employees work from home. Congress is working to pass a bill called the Parent’s Tax Relief Act 2007. This bill provides incentives for employers who support jobs working from home. The employer can have a tax credit of $2,400 per telecommuter. They can also write off expenses such as computers and broadband access.
These reasons and others are why businesses are supporting telecommuters. They also have access to a higher number of qualified individuals. For an example, a California company that would normally pay an employee $3000 a month for a job can find someone in another state or country to do the same job for half that amount. They can also find a vast resource from individuals who have no way to get to work, such as disabled individuals, who have the knowledge, but no transportation.
Now that you have looked at the bright side of things for both employees and employers, you should look at some of the disadvantages. First, for employees, there are no benefits, you are risking financial security, and you have a wider base of available employers. If you decide not to work for a company, you will not have health benefits, vacation pay, and you could loose a considerable amount of your income. While you may work your way back up to the income, you had before or close when you start out you will most likely take a huge pay cut. Sometimes we need to have the benefits employers offer and that income.
You may not be able to take the risk for other reasons besides money. The risks of staying at home and not having enough work, of not being able to push yourself, and possibly working for an unstable company or not finding enough customers for your at home business can be a huge disadvantage. Lastly, the companies have a wider pool to choose from so you may not get a job right away based on your needs.
For employers, they will lose the advantage of seeing your work. While they will be getting work from you, an employer is not seeing you being productive first hand. They may feel they are loosing time management. Lastly, an employer may feel the tax advantages and savings is not enough to provide employees with the resources to work form home. They will also loose control over your schedule.
With jobs working from home you may not see the disadvantages of employers as a great obstacle when you compare them to the advantages. As an employee, you can certainly work around the disadvantages if it means improving your health and having more family time, especially as a new mother. If you are going to strike out on your own, you need to have a plan or goals. When you decide to work from home, you set up goals for yourself, which includes having a well paying position or positions in six months. You also want to continually increase your income over a period of one year.
Each person is going to be different in his or her goals and the positions they chose. You may find that it takes six months to find a company or person you are willing to work for. If you are going to have your own business and secure your own clients, you will probably have different goals. You will have the control to set your own goals and it is important to set reasonable goals to achieve. You do not want to start out hoping for the moon, only to be disappointed. It will take hard work and play must come second. One of the greatest benefits is when you have succeeded with your goals and you gain more flexibility in the position you have chosen. The top benefit for jobs working from home is the family time you gain. Your children will be able to remember spending quality time that they need growing up, with you.
[http://jobsearchengine.nomoreheadhunters.com]
Josh Bebitez, writing for http://www.nomoreheadhunters.com
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