by MCM

Created on: January 27, 2010   Last Updated: January 28, 2010

Picture this scene...the alarm is ringing, it is 7am on a dark and dreary morning.  Your other half struggles out of bed with a groan, and grumpily hits the alarm clock before moving to the bathroom to ensure they are presentable to the public.  They then hurriedly iron some clothes whilst simultaneously trying to gulp down some toast and coffee.  Still chewing, they rush out the door to face into an hour of a commute with nothing but annoying early morning radio and painfully slow traffic to keep them company. 

You, on the other hand, roll over for another half hours sleep before awakening at your leisure.  You go for a 30-minute run in the nearby park and pick up the newspaper on your way home.  Once showered and dressed comfortably, you have a healthy breakfast while reading the paper.  Then 9am comes and you both settle down to work in your respective places of work.

This scenario is a very general one, and of course is not going to reflect the reality for everyone.  Before making the decision to work from home, each person needs to weigh up their own pros and cons list.  Another person’s pros and cons list may help guide you in making your own list, but everyone's set of circumstances differ, as does everyone's personality, so it is important to tailor it to your own needs.  The points below are intended as an aid to assist you in compiling your own individual pros and cons list.

The social side of working from home

If you are a sociable person, and enjoy interacting with a wide variety of people, then working from home may prove difficult.  Be prepared for being forgotten about when invitations to Christmas parties are sent out, missing the Friday evening drinks, missing impromptu celebratory lunches, and not being told when key members of staff leave.  Nothing bad will be intended by this, it is a simple case of out of sight, out of mind.  It can be quite lonely unless you make a concerted effort to get out and meet new people outside of your working life.  Unless you already have a strong social circle outside of work, you will need to make a greater effort with your social life.  Consider taking up night classes, or doing some volunteer work before you start working from home at all - do not give the loneliness an opportunity to set in at all.  Otherwise, you will find yourself feeling unfulfilled in life and

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