Saturday, November 21, 2020

How to Really Work at Home (and How Not To)

When I saw the title of this post sent to me by one of my regular contributors, I liked it before I even read it. Oh my gosh, so many ways to work at home, and so many things to avoid. However, while it's a great post, it went a very different direction than I would have, so it just inspires me to write another post with a similar name. In the meantime, enjoy this contribution.

Image from Pixabay - CC0 License

Many of us have been working from home recently when we wouldn't ordinarily. Even teachers are teaching their classes online from their own homes. However, when things are a little more normal, it could be straight back to work for a lot of people. If you've always dreamed of working from home, and now you've got a taste and enjoyed it, you might be wondering if it's possible for you to keep going. But a lot of advice about working from home doesn't seem to set you up for a full-time job or career. What are your legitimate options for working from home, and what should you do or not do? 

Do Consider Talking to Your Current Employer

Before doing anything else, consider your current job. If you enjoy it but would like to work from home some or all of the time, you should talk to your boss or employer. It's entirely possible that they might be happy for you to work remotely, whether it's a couple of days each week or even full-time. A lot of employers are seeing that it's a lot easier than they thought, and it can save money for both them and their employees.

Don't Get Drawn in By MLM Schemes

When you're looking for work-at-home options, you can often stumble across a lot of multi-level marketing schemes. If you ask some people, these are simple pyramid schemes under another name. While you might make some money with one of these MLM brands, it's likely you won't get far. You can find that you'll only make a little bit of cash before you hit a ceiling and can't get any further, but many people find that they don't really make any money with an MLM. Not only that, but you end up annoying friends and family when trying to sell to them.

Image from Pixabay - CC0 License

Do Think About Being a Sales Agent

Many of the top options for working from home involve sales of some kind. That's because a sales job can often be carried out from anywhere. If you have a phone and a computer, you can sell people various products and services. You might consider becoming an insurance agent and selling through Molina Contracting and other insurance contracting options. You could also sell vacations, or perhaps you want to sell property. Some sales jobs might involve speaking to consumers, while others are B2B, dealing with businesses instead.

Don't Try to Work and Parent at the Same Time

If you're a parent hoping to work from home, it can be beneficial to you. More flexible working hours can make it easier to fit work around your family commitments. However, don't try to be on parent duty while working at the same time. Many employers will require you to have child care while you're working so that you're not distracted. While many parents don't have much choice during the pandemic, it is something you need to consider if planning to work from home full-time.

Working from home is possible if you know your options. It could be something you do with your current employer or a way to find a new job.

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