The work at home parent is not something new. This is a growing trend experienced around the world.
Thanks to improved technology and cooperation from many large corporations to allow workers to telecommute, the number of parents working from home is growing.
A work at home mom or work at home dad who conducts business at home may do so primarily for the sake of their growing children. Plus, the ability to easily strategically allocate their time between business and family is vital. And it is a tough choice deciding who will be the parent to work from home. The parents will most certainly sort through many factors to arrive at their decision. The questions to consider include:
- Who is able to handle the dual responsibilities.
- Who is able to make a smoother transition to work at home.
- Which parent's company supports work at home transitions.
Advantages & Disadvantages
First, it is recommended the work at home parents take time to weigh the consequences of working from home.
Advantages
- More time with the family
- Less stress
- No long commutes
- Work at own pace
Disadvantages
- No interaction with fellow employees
- Less ability to network
- Less pay or benefits
If the work at home advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages, then this is an opportunity to take into due consideration.
Objectives
The main objective of the "Work At Home Parent" would be to integrate their work time with parental responsibilities without losing their income. Think about it:
- Will you lose income working from home?
- Will you lose medical benefits?
Let's take a closer look at integration of entrepreneurship with parenting. Many working from home believe it can be achieved by using time wisely and adapting space to suit the business and family needs. Many work from home parents learn to smoothly transition to work at home by using the following methods.
- Take smaller children on business errands.
- Scheduling their main workload when the children are at school
- Making the home office kid friendly.
- Letting the children get involved with small office projects
- Setting up a play section within the home office for the kids.
- Providing toys, books, games ,for the kids to keep them busy.
Soon employers and family will respect and admire this often hard decision to make the family a priority in all business decisions.
In conclusion, parents should find that working from home at their own hours improves their work production plus makes for an all around better parent in the long run.
 |
