Freelance Work and Working At Home...

IS WORKING at home or working freelance worth it? Most employees think of shifting careers. Having an eight to five schedule sometimes takes its toll. You have to sleep at around 10 pm and then wake at 6 am and leave the house by 7 am. Everything appears to be a routine and boredom is beginning to set in.

With freelance work, you can get that freedom when, where at what kind of work you would like to do. There is no daily commute to the office. Immediately upon rising, even in pajamas, you can get your laptop and start working. You can work within the comfortable confines of your home or at your favorite coffee shop. It is freedom to work at your own pace and place.

Working freelance is a dream job of every “clock puncher”. In our world where there is much chaos, workers are rounded up to their cubicles and are expected to be in the office for eight (8) hours, excluding the one (1) hour devoted for lunch. It is like being in a “cage” for a whole day. The clock puncher has to be physically present for more that eight (8) hours to receive that much-awaited paycheck. Every absence and tardiness is is deducted, thus making it compulsory to be at the office. If only there such a thing as making yourself invisible, or be at the beach in a matter of seconds to be back when the boss looks for you, life can be much better!

Not everyone however can work freelance or at home. It is not easy to find clients or projects that can give financial security. In freelance work, income is dependent on the number of projects. There would be times that there is a deluge of projects bringing enough money to pay for the expenses. But, there are occasions where projects are scarce and the earnings are barely enough to cover daily expenses.

Not having a consistent source of income is one great disadvantage of working freelance. Unlike in a freelance work, income in an office setting though limited is steady. At least, pay is expected every two (2) weeks!

With the rising cost of commodities, having just a day job is no longer enough. There is a need to find an extra source of income without leaving that eight to five work. But, it is really difficult in finding extra work for that extra income. Everyone seems to be doing a lot of belt tightening.

If we cannot do freelance and cannot find extra work, then why not change the way we work? Why not consider employees, depending on their functions and responsibilities, to allow them accomplish their work at home rather than in the office. Human resource should take the initiative of reviewing the functions of employees to determine those that may be allowed to work at home. I really think that is about time for management to look into the possibility of allowing their employees to work at home.

Here are five (5) advantages that may result from allowing employees to work at home -

(1) Parents, by working at home can simultaneously look at the welfare of their children. They can work comfortably without neglecting their parental obligations. One of the disadvantages of being an office worker is that for more than forty (40) hours a week including the daily commute, parents are away from their children. They got to hire a house helper and this would mean additional expense.

(2) No transportation expense. This is one advantage of working in a “home office”. The daily commute, with that stressful traffic, is a health hazard that can be avoided by just working at home. Almost immediately upon waking up, a home worker can get the laptop and begin working. I mean, this is great for employees whose work is merely to draft those reports and research works.

(3) No annoying officemates. Working at home means being with your family forty (40) hours a week. This means that you would only have your family around you. In the office, there are different types of people of different sentiments, beliefs, prejudices and characteristics. This often leads conflicting situations

(4) There would be less use for office space. This can be very advantageous to employers who would no longer need to spend money in renting office spaces. There would be less overhead expenses for electricity, air conditioning, and maintenance.

(5) Less issue on, harassment, discipline and office decorum. If there are fewer employees who are reporting to the office, issues on harassment, office discipline and decorum are minimized. There would be less misunderstandings, quarrels and office politics.

I hope that the government and the private sector can give serious support to freelance work or allowing their employees to work home given the present economic situation.