Homework (From Western Telegraph)

Homework

A cartoon hangs on my office wall dedicated to the woman working from home. A sketched picture of a pyjama-clad woman camped at a desk strewn with empty wine bottles is a parody of myself and two million other British people.

Louise, the fictional freelance writer it represents, is more concerned with painting her toenails and preparing a dinner party than meeting her deadline.

The caricature was published in a national newspaper after a survey revealed that 7% of the British working population now earn their living from home.

The study suggests that in 50 years time half the population will work from home. More and more people are organising a business or doing freelance office work full time in their homes.

Teleworking is the future, so we are told, and the benefits to those living in remote regions like Pembrokeshire can be huge.

The A40 may end at St Clears, but the information super-highway reaches the most isolated tip of this green and pleasant county.

New technology has provided alternatives to the traditional workplace. All we need is a computer and a telephone and we are in business.

Pembroke graphic designer Ian Smith has picked up business all over the world since he set up The Camrose Organisation at his home 12 years ago. He opened his first e-mail account at that time and has not looked back since.

The benefits to employers, employees and the general population can be huge. In the South East of England commuters can lose weeks of their working lives commuting and are estimated to spend up to a third of their salary on travelling costs.

A recent survey of staff working for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority revealed that 45% would like to work from home for part of the week.

But this concept also requires a great deal of self-motivation. Distractions can be a problem. Some find it difficult to separate domestic life from work and develop strategies to divide the two. I know people who walk out of the back door and in through the front to start their working day. Others make a point of dressing in a suit and tie, and for some it is essential to be seated at their desk before the 9 am pips.

Ian Smith enjoys the freedom his career affords him. If I have to pick the children up from school or take them to a swimming lesson then I can make up that lost time in the evening, he explained.

Setting your own agenda has lots of plus points. Flexible working hours and no rush hour traffic queues. But it is not all leisurely lunches, friends dropping by for coffee and mooching around in jeans. People who enjoy the social interaction of an office environment can find it hard to adjust. A day can go by when the only social contact is a visit by the postman.

There are also lots of distractions and a constant struggle to strike a harmonious balance between work and family.

Many women and men choose to work from home when children arrive on the scene. This can have drawbacks for even the most organised and professional among us.

Young children dont appreciate the finer points of deadlines or important telephone calls. There has been many a time when I have conducted a telephone interview with a foot placed strategically against my office door, barricading myself from three squabbling children. It is not easy maintaining a professional front while seated against a door with a brood of children protesting furiously on the other side! A ringing telephone becomes a test of fitness when children race to pick the call up first.

Those working from home can fall into the trap of trying to combine office work with housework, caring for children or even the odd hour of sunbathing. But these are not compatible.

Ian Smith admits school holidays can be a testing time. Fortunately, he has sufficient room in his home to have a dedicated office. The children respect that space. Because I have worked from home since they were babies, they have been brought up to know that they mustnt come into the office babbling while I am on the telephone.

He has installed a separate telephone line for work and prefers to meet clients in locations away from his home.

Organisation and self-discipline are key to successful home working. The rewards are flexibility, independence and the opportunity to work in an environment of your choice.