With the development in technologies and the companies becoming more flexible with their work culture, the trend of working from home is seeing a continuous growth. Long commuting hours, medical conditions, a newly born baby at home, being not present at the same location are some of the reasons which lead to the appointment of telecommuters or working from home employees or freelancers. Working from home, no doubt is a good option for moms having small babies at home. The popularity of Internet has made a lot of online jobs available which can easily be accomplished from home, letting people earn some extra income.
There are mainly three types of work-at-home jobs: 1. Telecommuting
2. Contract work/freelance
3. Business ownership.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each one - you will need to choose what suits your experience, personality and work situation best.
There are two crucial things required to take up a home based assignment1. The right resources
2. The right temperament
The temperament to do such jobs requires:- Self discipline to justify your working from home position.
- Maturity to handle the work independently.
- Being committed to work.
- Being productive and deliver the results on time.
- Self motivation
Resources needed to operate from Home.- A good desk and chair- You would need an ergonomically good desk and chair which is comfortable while working.
- Computer and its peripherals like mouse, keyboard, all in one printer which can work as a fax, scanner, copier and printer.
- VOIP-A good VOIP like skype which can keep the cost of communication low.
- Security set up- A good security set up for your system, to keep your data and information secured.
- Lighting control- A good lighting control system to ensure that your work doesn't get affected incase of power supply.
- Software which you need to work on.
Once you are sure that you want to take up a home based assignment, you have to decide what sort of assignments fit into your skills and interest. Here’s a partial list of the available options:
Options available to Work from Home- Researching.
- Typing
- Virtual Assisting
- Domain Parking
- Joining an Affiliate Program
- Freelance jobs
- Selling on ebay
- Medical transcription
- Blogging and running advertisements
- Forum Moderation
- Practicing your hobby etc.
Scams have spread there tentacles all around us. Owing to the inability to establish the identity of the opposite party, Internet is all the more vulnerable to them. Do some preliminary work and take some precautions to prevent your self from such scams.
Here are some tips:- Get information about your work, rate of pay, employer, hours of work and other terms.
- Find out who you will be working for.
- Verify their claims by talking to some of their employees in your area.
- They shouldn't ask you to pay for information about a job, opportunity or necessary supplies.
- Be suspicious of an overseas based company or the one not wanting to pay you directly.
- Don't send any money to start up.
- Don't give out personal information to anyone you don't know.
- Don't give out your bank details without cross checking the authenticity of the other party.
- You should not need to buy anything from them upfront.
- Check legal requirements for the type of work you want to take up from home.
- Be doubtful of companies who offer to pay your salary in advance. They do this to get your bank details and give you checks that will bounce.
Some red signals that help in spotting a fraudulent work from home opportunity:- Exaggerated claims about the money you can earn.
- Claims of having unlimited openings.
- Claims that "no experience" is required.
- Difficulty in contacting the company.
While working from home is a good option, ensure that what you're getting into won't cost you more than you are being reimbursed.
If you are an employee working from home following are some of the expenses you can ask your company to cover in addition to your remuneration:
1. Electricity bills,
2. Internet bills,
3. Phone bills,
4. Cost of any special software required
5. Computers and other required set up.
Certain things you should clarify before getting into the online working from home contract:- Find out all the details about the job's requirements.
- Check whether your remuneration will be based on salary or commission.
- Ask the company who will pay you.
- Ask how your work will be appraised.
- Determine all costs involved, such as supplies, marketing,long-distance bills, membership fees, etc.
Working from home culture is a beneficial bet both for the companies as well as the professionals.
Advantages to the company of having employees working from home:- Less investment on infrastructure and space.
- Reduced overheads.
- No hindrance in work in case of natural calamities, riots, emergencies
- More contented employees.
Advantages of working from home:- Flexibility to work as per the convenience.
- Better family and social life.
- Relief from the hassles of long commuting hours.
- Regular touch in work even on having small kids or medical conditions.
Most of us find our first work from home assignment a tougher way-graduating from the school of hard knocks. Only a few of us are fortunate enough to find the current employer ready to offer a work from home position. It is usually easier for the old employees whose work has been seen and appreciated by the company in the past, to get the liberty of working from home. So, if you need an operating from home arrangement, keep your eyes open for an opportunity with your current employer and approach your line manager with a plan and answers to all his expected questions.
