Dec 23 2008
Blogament #5: Work From Home Ethics
Are you a freelancer? Stay at home mom/dad earning some extra cash? College kid between semesters? Whatever your job, if you do it from home there are still ethics that apply. But where is the line between wearing pajamas to the computer and wearing a suit to the office?
Each situation is different, and it’s important to know what your responsibilities are before you sign agreeing to them. But here are four general guidelines to go by.
Attire:
If you work for a company or person that may stop by on occasion, then you’ll probably not want to lounge around every day in your pajamas to work. It’s probably okay though if your customer and/or employees don’t see. Sometimes even just putting on jeans and a tee shirt can improve your work attitude. You may not need to wear a suit each day, but to get yourself focused and in a work mode, I’d suggest putting on clothes that you’d be comfortable walking out of the house in.
Hours:
If your employer or clients do not require you to put in an exact number of hours, then you may not need to worry about this.
If you’re required to put in x amount of hours but it can be done at any time I’d suggest trying to do it all at once. It’s usually best to get into a routine. Sit down at the same time each day and crank it out.
If you work a customer service job where you may not have a set start time but you probably have hours where you need to be readily available. I’d suggest making a work area, like a desk with your computer or spread out across the dining room table, and being near there during your hours.
If you work at night the same concepts would probably still apply.
Communication:
It’s still important to answer phone calls or emails and return voice mail messages in a timely manager.
Vocabulary is also still important. Text messaging lingo is not professional and should not be used in a work setting/environment.
Quality: Give your best, even if you work in your pajamas or in the middle of the night. The quality of work should not suffer because you’re more comfortable than most people earning a wage. Working from home does not equal slacking off for pay. You still are providing a service for somene in exchange for a fee or rate. Behave professionally and you should do alright.
If you work from home and you’re still slacking on the laundry and dishes that need to be done, I can’t help you there. (I have yet to get to mine this winter break as well heh). But I hope you enjoy working from home and manage to get other responsibilities taken care of as well.
