'Working' from home

I've worked from home for the last 10 years - everything I do is on line - accounts, scheduling system, mail etc and the company I work for is in the US with no physical offices so everyone is mobile. It's worked out very well as I was able to care for my parents in their last years especially my dad who would sit and watch tv while I was on the computer - when the auditors came in I would put him in the conservatory where we would hear him laughing at the boxed comedy sets he watched (he had dementia so they were always new to him ). The downside is that you never get away from it as it's too easy to just answer one more e-mail or finish a report and over the years I've seen me working 14-16 hours a day at times. Sadly due to the company being bought out I think my job will come to an end in the next few months. I'm not ready to retire yet but doubt I'll find anything so convenient!

Thecompany DS works for are having a lot of reorganisation in their buildings. They are only having 85% of the number of desks required and no one will have their own desk! This goes across all levels of management. DS says he thinks they will have some drawer or a locker for certain things they need to leave at work. They already do not have sufficient car parking spaces. He needed to be at home for a video conference one morning and when he got to his office could not find a parking space at all so went home and worked from there. He says he gets more work done at home as he is not interrupted by people asking him to do other things. He has completion times for the projects he is working on and as long as those times are met it is OK.

DD works from home. The nature of her work means she works to a strict shift system. So no opportunity for using work time as down time. However it does have the advantage that when a shift finishes, work is over, no worrying about deadlines or having to put in unpaid overtime.

Works well for some. OH worked from home for several years both FT and PT....he's organised and disciplined.....and had a door he could shut.....that's how it worked!

I often used to work from home. Some of the distraction in the office were social. My team were "on the road" and we often didn't meet up every day. So there was catching up to do. Work and personal issues. There were days when I could have taken an hour of intense work at home in what I spent in a full day in the office. Don't tell anyone though!

Also saves the employer money on heat and light etc.

I found that working from home more productive as I was away from interruptions, etc.

My husband also works from home when he's working on CAD for the same reasons. The only downside is that the dining table is covered in A3 drawings!

I guess there are always going to be people who abuse it but it does offer the opportunity of flexible working for many people and cuts down on the amount of travel on roads and trains.

After I had retired full time I had a couple of part time jobs and the end result for both was report writing. I did more productive work in the evenings even up until midnight than I ever would 9-5pm. As long as the work gets done I do not have a problem. I had an added incentive, I was not paid until the report was written and emailed.

There must be many variables. In my last school we were allowed to go home on our PPA afternoons/ There was plenty of work to be done and it was great not to have the worry of school distractions in the background where there was always the danger of being called away from planning to deal with something.

The few people I know who have worked from home are conscientious and it has helped them to have the flexibility when looking after children. If work isn't done in the daytime, it gets done in the evening. This must contribute to overall well-being and support good productivity.

I guess it is up to individual employers to gauge what is realistic and what is useful to them.

I would love another opportunity to work from home!