SLA Illinois Chapter Connecting People and Information

by Lorene Kennard, Walnut Avenue Research

I run my freelance research business out of my home office. In my former job, I worked at home occasionally. There are several myths about working at home or telecommuting that I want to dispel.

MYTH: You can roll out of bed and start working.
REALITY: Ok. That one’s true. For the record, I always take a shower and eat breakfast before I start working. Although, I usually wear a Bears sweatshirt and moose pants instead of “work” clothes. 
 
MYTH: People who work at home take more breaks.
REALITY: Maybe. I can get more work done at home alone than when I worked in an office with constant interruptions. So, I may take some time to throw clothes in the washer, but I have much more concentrated work time during the day.

MYTH: You can do whatever you want since nobody is watching.
REALITY: Technically, this is true. However, the work still has to be done. If you are easily distracted, working at home is not for you. I do a lot of marketing for my business, so my business depends on it.

MYTH: You can sleep in every day.
REALITY: Possibly. If you have a long commute, sleep can help increase productivity. On most days, I still get up at a reasonable hour and use the extra time for exercise or reading the paper. 

MYTH: If you aren’t in the office, your boss/co-workers will forget about you.
REALITY: In my job, that wasn’t the case. Nobody had any problems finding me when they needed to. In my business, my clients may not even know that I work at home.

MYTH: As long as you have a laptop, you can work anywhere.
REALITY: If you have your own business, this is true. You have to make sure your phone works where you are going and there is a reliable internet connection. This isn’t always the case and bad things can happen if you’re on a deadline. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this if you have a boss who thinks you’re working at home. What if something came up and they needed you in the office? Yikes.

MYTH: It’s cheaper to telecommute than to go into the office.
REALITY: It’s true that you won’t have to buy as much gas or clothes, but your heating and cooling bills will go up. Your grocery bill will be higher, although it’s still cheaper than eating out.