What a Freakin’ Blog

An Introduction to Home Working

Ask anyone to choose their perfect job and working from home would come high on their wish list. Whether home working is an option provided by your employer or a decision you have taken yourself in starting your own business, the thought of just getting out of bed, walk over to a workstation and just start work is very appealing. No commuting to and from the office and working hours to suit yourself.

But is home or flexible working right for you as an individual, or good for your business as an employer? Well there are many advantages and disadvantages. Home or flexible working brings new responsibilities for both the employer and employee. Equally with advances in mobile technology it has never been easier to set up your own business to work from home.

An Increasing Trend

From a business point of view, allowing staff to work at home on either a full or part-time basis can bring a range of business benefits, from increased productivity, greater staff motivation to effective use of your premises. Advancements in mobile technology has contributed enormously to the increase in opportunities for working at home.

The spread of home working using the internet or telephone opens up a new range of possibilities with regards to the way a business works and structures itself. Computers, mobile phones, broadband and mobile broadband all play a role. For the individual, becoming self employed and working from home has also never been easier. If you have a laptop and mobile phone the opportunity is there, it’s just deciding what you want to do. So home working is becoming a way of life for many individuals and businesses, but what is home working?

Some employers will offer selected employees the opportunity to become a teleworker, whereby an employee can undertake their role from home utilising various types of technology, which is installed at the employees home by the employer. The employee will remain in touch with the business and other teleworkers. Some businesses, for example the utility companies who require gas, electric and meter readers, will class employees undertaking this type of work as teleworkers or outworkers.

Some individuals opt for the self-employed work life. The self-employed will operate their business from home, offering a product or service such as web development or business consultancy from home. In these types of roles, the individual can often plan their day to suit their own needs. I know one web developer who often works well into the early hours of the morning as this is when he feels most productive.

Others such as a painter and decorator, plumber or gardener, whilst providing their services away from the home, use home as the office for paperwork such as pricing future jobs and preparing invoices. I know of several painters and decorators who work Monday to Thursday, but use Friday’s to go out and price up future potential work. That is one thing to bear in mind when setting up as self employed, you need to allow time to find or prospect for future work.

Some types of work are more suitable for home working than others, the following list is not exhaustive, but will give some guidance:

• Telesales and Marketing
• Customer Services
• Professional services & consultancy i.e. HR Administration & Accountancy
• Certain types of administration work
• Data input
• Creative/Graphics
• Writing, editing, translation and research.
• I.T. Support & Programming

Many of the above have a common theme and that is that as long as you have access to a computer and a phone, you can undertake almost all of these tasks from home.

The shift towards flexible working does not mean employees only work from home. Splitting time between the workplace and home is the most productive solution, as you want employees to attend meetings, therefore keeping them informed and involved. Continued face to face interaction within the business remains a key requirement.

With the introduction of flexible working regulations, employers now have to seriously consider employee requests to work flexibly from home, especially if they have parental responsibility for children under 16 years old, disabled children or they are carers for other adults with disabilities.

Employers and individuals also need to consider what equipment will be required to ensure that an efficient business operation and working environment is set up.

The increase in home working has required that manufacturers develop a wider range in office furniture to fit in with varying home decoration styles.

The Pros and Cons

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of an employer allowing employees to work from home or use their home as a base for at least part of the working week? It’s clear there are a number of benefits to the employer:

• Staff Retention is increased
• Wider pool of applicants to recruit from e.g. disabled people who prefer to work from home.
• Productivity gains through having fewer interruptions and less commuting time.
• Reduced stress and sickness increasing staff motivation.
• Savings on office space and facilities.
• Sales staff closer to clients, rather than being based at the office which could be miles away.
• As with life if there are advantages then there are also disadvantages to home/flexible working:
• Management of staff and monitoring performance
• Possible deterioration of key skills and quality of work.
• Capital costs – training and providing suitable equipment, this could include adaptations to meet Health & Safety standards or meet the needs of disabled workers.
• Difficulties maintaining staff development and upgrading of skills.
• Information security risks
• Increased telecommunication and I.T. costs
• Sense of isolation and communication problems amongst home workers.
• Staff morale and difficulties in maintaining team spirit.
• Home working may not be suitable for certain types of jobs.

One thing I particularly miss is the Monday morning office banter about what you did at the weekend of how your football team has fared compared to others. Often the camaraderie that is unique to an office where you get to know people well over many years is also lost where flexible working becomes an option.

Are You Suited o Working at Home?

Having identified the types of work that is suitable for flexible working, the employer must satisfy themselves that employees are suited to this type of work. It’s likely they will need a number of skills in key areas to allow them to work away from base.

• Time management and self discipline
• Motivation
• Communication
• Technology

We must make it clear that home working is not suitable for everyone and care should be taken, because allowing one person to work from home will set a precedent that others will want to follow. Others will see an attraction to working at home particularly on a lovely summer’s day, rather than being stuck in an office. I must confess that as I write this article, I am sitting in our summer house at the bottom of the garden with the laptop on a glorious summer’s day in June.

An employer you must have a clear idea of how home/flexible working could fit in with the needs of the business. A set of house rules need to be established and maintained, i.e. priority is given to requests from parents of young or disabled children. My wife for example, plans her day around the hours of taking the children to school and collecting them later. She maintains that she is extremely focused on what she needs to achieve within those six hours in between. No distractions or idle chit-chat that will occur in an office environment.

In some cases the employer is legally obliged to seriously consider requests for home/flexible workers. Employee with parental responsibility for children aged 16 or under, or disabled children who are under 18 and receive disability living allowances can request a range of flexible working patterns from their employers, this includes the right to work from home. There are similar rights for employees who are carers of adults.

The introduction of flexible working can also lead to an overhaul to employment contract terms and conditions. In a majority of cases an employee’s place of work is listed in the written schedules of their employment contract. It’s important that when an employee starts to work from home it may be necessary to review and amend their employment contract.

The following is a list of contractual aspects an employer should consider when implementing a home/flexible work policy:

• Stated hours of work
• Identify core times when employees undertake to work and/or are contactable.
• Extra duties or responsibilities that may need to be assigned in addition to those already agreed
• Identify the terms regarding the supply and insurance of any equipment that may be required, these should clearly state ownership and use, especially that its not to be used for personal use.
• Clearly identify what the employer will reimburse to cover additional expenses the employee may incur, its especially important to identify the calculation method when costs are shared i.e. utility bills and telecommunications
• Procedures to be put in place if either the employee or employer wishes to terminate the home/flexible working arrangement.

Allowing home working the employer should remember that they still have health and safety responsibilities for people who work at or from home; and you are likely to have to provide and maintain equipment for employees to use, these include:

• Workstation complete with suitable task chair
• Filing cabinet, shelves or storage
• PC/Laptop with office software, email and broadband internet connection
• Dedicated business telephone line
• Printer & fax machine
• Stationery and Office Supplies

Selecting good quality desk chairs will help you to maintain good posture whilst at your work station.

IT equipment and software can be expensive so it’s important to ensure it meets your genuine business need and is compatible with your existing systems. Technology changes almost daily and with today’s advances the establishment of virtual teams where employees work together despite working at home can be set up easily and at reasonable expense. These teams could be two employees talking over the phone or you could use more hi-tech solutions like high speed internet, instant messaging, webinar and video conferencing. Many laptops now have web cam and this also offers the chance to see the person you are speaking with.

Providing all this kit and equipment it is important to ensure your business insurance cover is extended to cover home workers, as their home insurance is unlikely to cover this, however they should check with their insurer and extend their policy to include working from home.It is also a good idea to find out who would be responsible for a claim should you have an accident at home, during working hours.

Workers who adopt home working should check with their local council and mortgage company the position regarding using their home as a work base, and whether they may have to pay business rates for the portion of their home they use as an office. Some self employed businesses will involve use of a vehicle which will need to be parked up at certain times of the day. For example painters and decorators and builders are likely to utilise a transit van or pick up truck in the work. You should therefore ensure that neighbours will not be offended by having the vehicle parked in the street or to block light out of their homes. If you are to park a vehicle at home, let the neighbours know, it may save a lot of hassle later.

The employer needs to ensure that employees take care of business equipment and information in their possession, it’s important to establish procedures to be followed if any item is damaged or lost, especially data and intellectual rights.

We all agree that home working offers a wide range of benefits to both the business and employees, but it needs to be carefully managed to be successful. Procedures should be put in place for managers to monitor and assess home workers, this is the most significant managerial challenge an employer will face. It can be helpful to measure their effectiveness in terms of output rather than the hours of work. Agree set goals and deadlines for particular projects, and ensure these are being met, give feedback promptly and sensitively if things go wrong.

Ensuring home workers have access to training can prepare and help employees develop the necessary skills they need.For staff who work alone a sense of isolation is one of the main factors most likely to make home working fail, therefore it’s important to ensure procedures are put into place to make people feel part of the team, these should include:

• Frequent 2-way feedback sessions about work and work related issues
• Regular visits to the workplace
• Inclusion in social activities for home based workers.
• Clear procedures to be followed and contact lists if things go wrong.

When the employees job is entirely home-based from the start, make sure their initiation is undertaken at your premises, this helps the home worker focus and be productive if they have a chance to establish a clear idea of the people they will be working for. The most successful home workers are those who have worked from the business premises previsouly.

Seeking the advice of office fit out contractors to make good use of space, will help an employer to maximise the office space available.

A Brief Health & Safety Obligations Check List for Home Workers

If you use your home as your business workplace, you must carry out a health and safety risk assessment to identify any possible hazards to yourself, workers, visitors and other members of your household.

Possible hazards include:

• Using work equipment at home, including electrical appliances
• Your workstation set-up
• Handling loads
• Hazardous substances and materials
• Psychological hazards, such as stress or loneliness
• Fire
• Slips, trips and falls
• Excessive noise or vibration

Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common causes of injury in the work place. Even something we take for granted on a daily basis, such as walking up and down the stairs, should be regarded as a risk to safety. Evaluate whether a hazard is significant and if it is, whether you have taken enough precautions to make the risk as low as you reasonably can.

You need to consider:

• Your home and those who live there – including vulnerable persons, e.g. children, the elderly, and new and expectant mothers
• The work done in your home
• The equipment in your home
• Emergency procedures
• First aid provision

Five steps to a health and safety risk assessment

1. Identify any hazards.
2. Decide who might be harmed and how.
3. Assess the risks and remove them or, otherwise, reduce them as far as is reasonably possible.
4. Record your findings.
5. Check the risks regularly and take further steps if needed.

Conclusion

With advancements in mobile technology, working at home has become far easier to do. It can offer a very balanced way of life and the rewards can be great. In the current economic climate, many who have been unfortunate to suffer redundancy or reduced hours are considering setting up their own business to work at home. Having worked in the corporate world for over twenty years and just suffered redundancy, it is certainly an option to consider.

But home working needs to be considered carefully. Is it right for you? Is it right for your employer? What impact will it have on my homelife? Many advantages, but also many disadvantages and bear in mind the health and safety requirements and risks. Your health is important so choosing the correct office furniture to meet your needs is a must for any home worker to ensure you have the proper facilities for home working.

For years a friend of mine worked from home with his desk in his living room and eventually he realised that he could never get away from work, which is as important as doing the work in the first place because we all need time away from work.

If you are lucky enough to really love your work the temptation can be to do it all day long. Eventually this can lead to burn out and can also take away some of the pleasure of working, even if it is something you really love. Therefore it is important to have balance in your life, even more so when you work from home. Some suggestions to help to achieve this are to make sure that when you have lunch, for example, remove yourself from the work space and don’t eat at your desk, get some separation from the work when you are not doing it.

Remember that just because you work from home it doesn’t mean that work has to take over your life completely.

If you have made the decision to switch from your expensive web host to a cheaper web host to host your website, you may be a bit overwhelmed over the thousands of cheap web hosting providers available on the internet. When choosing a web host, you will want to make sure that the provider is reliable, continues to update the server hardware and software, and has excellent customer service. You should also check the customer testimonials.

Nothing is more frustrating to a business website owner than the web host being down. This happens occasionally, even for the best ones, but if you can’t get in touch with the web hosting provider, it can prove to be disastrous.. Imagine not being able to have your customers reach your website for days! The revenue that you lose could be astronomical!

So while price may be a consideration when choosing a cheap web hosting provider, it should not be the only consideration. As mentioned, one of the most important things to look for in a cheap web host is good customer service, and as part of a great service is the possiblity to purchase not only web hosting, but also cheap domains online. Who knows? – Perhaps you will feel like to expand your business in the future and having one provider for all web hosting related services can prove to be very efficient!.

Yes – a web host can be good even though they’re low cost.

You would also want to check out the space available on the cheap web hosting plan, as well as the bandwidth allotted for your website. Bandwidth is what allows customers to visit your site, and it’s important that it’s big enough to handle all your incoming visitors.

You should be extra concerned about the space; even if the space that you have now seems to be sufficient, you may want to expand your website at one point in time.

Another important feature You should check out is if you are allowed to add additional sites to the hosting plan (called addons).. There are many different ways to earn money with websites on the internet, and by hosting several of your own sites, the sky is the limit when it comes to internet income.

By Anders Eriksson
CEO Datorsam
http://www.ResaleRightsWorld.com

I was all set to go shopping and ready to buy a refurbished laptop computer

When I came to the realization I absolutely did not know what I needed to know about buying a laptop. I rang my best chum John who is an amazing computer guru for tips. I was given amazingly practical counsel and I am preparing to repeat it for you in hopes it will help you.

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Wrist watches provide an elegant touch to formal attire. Most people now adays no longer wear wrist watches due to the explosion of cell phone usage, but good limited edition wrist watches are hard to come by. Believe me, I know.

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Some good wrist watch manufacturers are Casio, Tag Heuer and Seiko just to name a few. These manufacturers provide outstanding wrist watches at great prices. They all provide sporty, elegant, or every day styles of watches.

To this day I still do not wear a wrist watch, even with my suits. Starting today, I plan on wearing a wrist watch. I want to wear a wrist watch as a tribute to my grandfather, whom used to always wear a wrist watch everywhere he went. It was not uncommon for him to wear it to bed! If we was around today, he’d be ashamed of all the kinds today who no longer wear watches.

Yes, there is music search excitement in the air! With so many opportunities to get your favorite tunes, either by downloading one or two, or by buying a full CD of music, you can get exactly what you want at any time of day or night. It isn’t the problem of getting out and locating a music shop that carries your favorites anymore. Americans have turned into creatures of instant gratification, and the music industry wants to satisfy that urge. The Internet has made this as easy as anything ever imagined.

Finding your favorite music lyric on the Internet is simple. You just put a few words about what you are looking for into a major search engine and there it will be. In fact, you may find an overwhelming amount of links to all sorts of websites. But take a look around and you’ll see the place where you’ll want to do your shopping. They should have a wide selection, of course, and make it easy to navigate their site. Check out the links within the website and see how simple it is to get around. This will make your shopping experience a real pleasure.

No matter if you prefer live music or just love the music from your favorite movies or some soothing smooth jazz, you really need to begin your own personal collection. Some love Beyonće and wouldn’t miss any of her hits that become available. Others want to collect all the CDs that Janet Jackson put out, or get all the music videos of Michael Jackson. It could be costly building a collection, but if you go about it bit by bit, you’ll eventually have everything you desire. It’s very satisfying when you know you have every recording your favorite artist has performed.

Today new music fun is abound. With so many options, you will have to take time to work out which you want to go with. You’ll discover new ways to get your music listened to no matter where you are. Having an iPod is now the “in” thing, so you can easily listen anywhere. And it’s quite easy to fill it with literally thousands of songs. The huge prices are a thing of the past. Your collection won’t cost an arm and a leg, and you’ll soon spend your days in the blissful presence of music, music, music!